The Cosmic Void Has One Or Two Suggestions

by @headfirstonly Mod · @sapient

Liner Notes

HFO says: time for another #science (or at least #science-adjacent) #prog #extravaganza from the two of us. In case you're wondering, the idea that the Higgs field (responsible for subatomic particles having mass) is only metastable has implications that go way beyond everything in the entire universe suddenly ceasing to exist; false vacuum decay would even wipe out the laws of physics that make it possible to have matter, or even atoms. But we're probably fine. And you shouldn't lose any sleep worrying about it... https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/vacuum-decay-the-ultimate-catastrophe/

Sapient: yeah. No point worrying at all. The fact that it might already have happened somewhere and there is a cosmic wall of death hurtling towards us at the speed of light really isn't any reason to get distracted from writing songs because: a) since it would be moving at the speed of light we can't see it coming b) you really, REALLY wouldn't notice anything if it hit. You just wouldn't be there any more.

Also neutrinos really are VERY odd.

Lyrics

Why are we still here When the Higgs field has been shown To be metastable?

How come black holes lose energy when they really shouldn’t Be able?

How big's a neutrino? Is it smaller than an atom Or bigger than your attic?

Is time really quantised? Is everything discrete And at Planck time actually static?

All these and other questions The cosmic void Has one or two suggestions

Comments

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I came for the reverb, stayed for the wonderful harmonies. Very well done.

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This is so clever and terrifying. But not that terrifying because I’m too stupid to understand the full implications and too sensible to read the article. I loved how uhh spacey everything sounds and how the doubled vocals sound like the voice of the void itself. But seriously it expanded my mind in cool ways and was a very good listen.

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@kembole

Like how the vocals add to the song here. I was waiting more for a spoken word bit but was pleasantly surprised. Great fat and thick mix of the synths.

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Dreamy! Science-y! Lovely soundscape behind this layered vocal line. Nice collab. 👏🎶

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@oatsg

Excellent work! Having just finished reading The Dark Forest trilogy (again!) the subject matter is bang on. Love the simple yet intensely layered backing track and your delivery of the lyrics is perfection.

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@leepat

came for the science, stayed for the synths! huge! so many rabbit holes to go down too... i mean, black holes. great stuff guys!

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You had me hooked from the intro. Love the instrumentation and the lyric effects. After another play through, I am still left pondering these questions. -Natalie

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Yes! An awesome sounding track and lyrics about physics, sign me up! And of course I had to check it out just for the title alone. The sound on the vocals is really cool.

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@jamkar

HFO + Sapient on the marquee pulled me in like a black hole. All the goodies you would expect from such a collaboration. Bonus points for the cosmology theme. What a very pleasant afternoon's entertainment!

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@gordon

Love this gents. My kind of thing, which is probably no surprise. We need more science. Just in general, but especially in songs. Great stuff.

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@sirius

Oh, a dream collab! 😁 Enormous sound, I'm getting a sense of immensity and of meaningfulness all along. Every element is in the right place, everything is working together to create a magnificent cosmic vibe. In the end, it's beyond us, and that song says it perfectly. I'm not worried in the slightest, because I'm not even sure we're real. The ending is wonderful. Awesome job, guys!

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Oh, you two absolutely nailed the vibe for this existential pondering, really excellent collab!

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The doubled vox is perfect. Somehow relating the intellectual and scary idea behind the lyric in a factual but also worrying manner while maintaining its allure. Five minutes really does fly by when you're listening to an attractive piece of worrisome thoughts. This one has to be in my best of FAWM 2025 playlist.

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Such a great space sound, the opening takes you right there, like twinkling stars at times, really well done work!

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Thx for telling me not to worry about something worrying didn’t know about, ha ha. This works so well. It has all sorts of influences here! structurally and flow are very Floyd like though not the actual music. It really is a fine piece of work! I would love to see this all expanded into an album! Would while away a few armchair evenings for me (when I get an armchair) Controlled Epic!

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This is really, really good! Your two voices work together incredibly and the overall feel/production is absolutely banging.

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@dhiatt

Love your two voices working together, it's an excellent effect. Great spacey feel. Would be cool to have the last stanza repeat a few times as a refrain. Ok, gotta go and pretend the universe is perfectly stable, thanks.

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@aeye

whoa this is awesome. That intro is so good and it just has such a deep sound. I've been so awash in this I forgot to finish this comment haha.

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@jonmeta

This is amazing on every level. The title itself, funny and intriguing in a Hitchiker way -- as is 'bigger than your attic', rhyming with static. The sonic landscape, crammed to the brim but not sludgey. The octave vocals, magnificent. This sounds to me release-ready and release-worthy.

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@emplate

Oh my. The guitarwork is great, as expected, but the vocal harmonies are something that really take the cake here. Mesmerising stuff. Lovely ambient-like atmosphere. This song feels like swimming through the universe. I need to take another listen alone in the evening.

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@b3nut

Great way to pull off an astrophysics jam! I love the expansiveness of the track. Now I have more stuff to read up on...great work guys!

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@brisk

This has such a majesterial sweep to it. Those voices together are really powerful. The musical and atmospheric accompaniment is massive and yet understated. Lots of thought must have gone into it, or if it didn't you're really good at sounding like you've put a lot of thought into it. Big held pad into "all these and other questions" is nice too. That change in tone is so fun. It's a transition from questioning and uncertainty to a dawning realisation that there may be something... behind... the... curtain...

Weirdly it reminds me of that moment in the film "Under The Skin" where there are two characters... trapped... then suddenly...

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@kosch

Some fun questions to start my day... thanks 😆 I like the interval on the vocals. It feels it has an inevitability, leaning in, and building in mass....

[FAWM]