Minute Taker is the creative alias of singer, songwriter and producer Ben McGarvey, whose music fuses the emotional honesty of classic songwriting with the atmospheric world-building of MTV-era synth-pop and cult cinema. From his synth-packed home studio on the misty Pennine moors outside Manchester, he crafts haunting, narrative-driven songs that resonate with themes of queerness, memory, and transformation.

 

His new album 'The Oblivion' is his most ambitious project to date - a cinematic, synth-saturated record that explores escapism, self-destruction and the quiet revelations found in the night. Inspired by 80s pop icons (Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, A-ha), sci-fi soundtracks (Blade Runner, The Terminator), and queer storytelling, the album traces a nocturnal journey through emotional extremes and existential questioning.

 

“The Oblivion exists in a dark, 80s-inspired cinematic world,” Ben explains. “The songs are told from the perspectives of different characters, all extensions of myself. They’re seeking something in the night; connection, freedom, transcendence, until eventually they stop searching. There’s peace in the stillness, but also chaos in the absence of structure. It’s a record about collapse, and about letting go.”

 

The album’s opening track ‘Surrender to the Night’ is a neon-soaked synthwave anthem featuring a soaring sax solo by Jesse Molloy (The Midnight), paired with the first chapter of an accompanying film trilogy, 'Nocturnal Monologues'. Commissioned by Waterside, the videos follow a mysterious loner in search of thrill and meaning across foggy cityscapes and shadowy nightclubs. “Night has always felt like a magical time to me,” Ben says. “I love walking the streets late at night. It’s when the world feels most dreamlike.”

 

Minute Taker’s work has always blurred the boundaries between music, visual art and personal reflection. His previous album 'Wolf Hours' (2022) was released alongside a live audiovisual show funded by Arts Council England and praised for its emotionally resonant synthpop and LGBTQ+ narratives.

 

His cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ became his most streamed song to date and received airplay on BBC Radio 2. He has also produced official remixes for Erasure and Yazoo, and collaborated with synth-pop peers Bright Light Bright Light, Curses, Color Theory, LAU and 3FORCE.

 

Beyond his releases, Ben runs a Patreon-style subscription community called Secret Songs, which gives fans access to unreleased material, concert films, handmade albums and more. “I’ve learned to prioritise true fans over casual listeners,” he says. “It’s made me realise I don’t need to follow a prescribed industry path to make this work.” 

 

With ‘The Oblivion’, Minute Taker continues to evolve as a distinctive, uncompromising voice in independent music, bridging past and future through a lens of neon-lit emotion, queer introspection and timeless melody. As a fully self-supporting, full-time artist, Ben has built a sustainable creative career on his own terms, proving that independence can be both creatively fulfilling and financially viable.

 

Find out more about joining Secret Songs here.

 

CDs, Vinyl and Merchandise available worldwide from the Minute Taker Store here.

​

​