Song history written by TimelandIsWacky
“Empty” is a simple and introspective track to clean the slate after I’m In Your Mind Fuzz’s wild opening song cycle. Brandishing the album’s lo-fi production with mechanical clicks throughout, the lyrics describe someone who feels like life has changed for the worse, yet finds happiness when next to their significant other. The song is emblematic of Stu’s lyricism throughout Mind Fuzz, which he described to The Music as “a lack of faith in the world, or a kind of human irony of where we fit in the cosmos.”
The earliest known appearance of “Empty” was on 2014-02-09 at St Kilda Foreshore in Naarm (Melbourne) alongside most of I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. According to the setlist, its working title was “3/4", in reference to the song’s time signature. It was recorded by Paul Maubury at A Secret Location in Melbourne, with the mix being done by Stu on tour. It was released on October 31st, 2014.
The song would be played occasionally throughout 2014 with a performance on 2014-11-01 making it into in the documentary BOOTLEG HOLIDAY FROM HELL. It would disappear for more than a decade after a performance at The Hi-Fi in Naarm (Melbourne) on 2014-12-19 at The Hi-Fi in Naarm (Melbourne). When asked if the song would ever return during the 2025 Reddit AMA Stu mentioned that it would be a good idea. After a soundcheck before Field of Vision on 2025-08-14, “Empty” returned on 2025-08-16, marking a 644 show bustout. King Gizzard only played it one more time that year on 2025-12-13.
Live performances appear close to the studio version with no notable differences.