Tim Minchin has never been one to shy away from uncomfortable truths… and on his new single, he leans in hard.
“You Grew on Me” is the latest taste of TimMinchinTimeMachine, the upcoming anthology of unreleased material from the award-winning musician, writer, and provocateur, due out July 25th via BMG.
A darkly comic, emotionally loaded ballad, “You Grew on Me” flips the love song trope on its head. Over a delicate melody and increasingly chaotic choral backing vocals, Minchin likens falling in love to developing a life-threatening illness — one where his partner is the tumour, the virus, the disease he can’t shake. It’s funny, biting, tragic, and all too real.
“I’ve performed this tune in various forms for years, and it has always been one of my faves,” Minchin says. “It’s sort of discombobulating because it constantly shifts: between funny and heartfelt, between two different time signatures, and between different key centers. This version, with its bonkers choral backing vocals and awesome Jak Housden guitar, is deeply satisfying to me.”
“You Grew on Me” follows previous singles “Ruby”, “The Song of the Masochist”, and “I Wouldn’t Like You”, offering a clearer picture of what TimMinchinTimeMachine is shaping up to be: part time capsule, part deep dive into Minchin’s past as a songwriter before international acclaim. Across 11 tracks, the record blends sharp wit, emotional gut punches, and Minchin’s signature skewering of sentimentality.
His last studio album, Apart Together (2020), drew positive reviews for its surprisingly tender pop stylings, and now four singles deep, this one looks like it could be heading for similar critical acclaim.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Minchin is currently on tour in the UK with his ‘Songs the World Will Never Hear’ tour, playing a sold-out three-night stint at London’s Eventim Apollo before heading to Birmingham, Manchester, and more. He’ll head home later this year for a massive run across Australia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his career-changing show, ‘Darkside’, including dates in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and beyond through October to December.
TimMinchinTimeMachine is out July 25th. Pre-orders are available now via all retailers or TimMinchin.com, where you can also find remaining tickets for the Australian tour.
Stream Tim Minchin’s “You Grew on Me” now.
