Former members of COWARD, an instrumental math rock quartet from Columbia, Missouri, Mikey Wheeler, Nathan Driskill, and Cody Mains began developing new material with former FAMINES bandmate Matt Cole in the summer of 2024. Dense, angular riffs underscore dynamic arrangements. Delicate melodies soften harsh edges. Core themes of death and loss juxtaposed against brief glimpses of acquiescence and hope... The GIFT HORSE sound searches for cracks in the dark where the light can come through. ABSENCE, recorded between June of 2025 and June of 2026, was produced, mixed, and mastered by Ian Dobyns at Element Studios in Kansas City, Kansas and Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.