“Insulting”: AI ‘Band’ Soars Past One Of Its ‘Influences’ In Popularity
“It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting - most importantly - it’s a wake-up call.”
Holding Absence (Source: Supplied/Press)
Lucas Woodland, the vocalist of the Welsh alternative rock/emo band Holding Absence, has fired at an AI band that’s overtaken the real-life group on streaming services, despite only having an online presence since late July.
On its Instagram profile, the AI band, Bleeding Verse, admits that it uses “AI-assisted instrumentation and vocals.” That same description is noted on its YouTube channel, as well as the following synopsis:
Bleeding Verse is an emotional post-hardcore band crafting cinematic soundscapes and heartbreak-heavy melodies. Inspired by artists like Dayseeker and Holding Absence, we blend ambient textures, soaring vocals, and poetic lyricism to explore grief, identity, and healing. Lyrics from the heart. AI assisted instrumentation and vocals.
At the time of publication, Bleeding Verse has just 1,912 followers on Instagram but 897,349 monthly listeners on Spotify, with Reddit users commenting that the band’s music regularly appears on personalised music discovery playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar.
Bleeding Verse has overtaken Holding Absence by nearly 40,000 listeners on Spotify – the Welsh rockers have 847,638 monthly listeners and over 83,000 Instagram followers.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) this morning, Woodland alleged that Bleeding Verse releases music “modelled” on Holding Absence, writing:
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“So, an AI ‘band’ who cite us as an influence (ie, it’s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.”
He added, “It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting - most importantly - it’s a wake-up call.
“Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.”
So, an AI “band” who cite us as an influence (ie, it’s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.
— Lu (@Lucaswoodland) September 30, 2025
It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting - most importantly - it’s a wake up call.
Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.
Earlier this year, Holding Absence teamed up with Halocene on the collaborative single, Bite My Tongue. Their most recent album, The Noble Art of Self Destruction, was released in August 2023.
Holding Absence returned to Australia in January of this year as the special guests on fellow Brits You Me At Six’s final tour Down Under. In 2023, they toured across the country with Thousand Below and Keepsake.
Concerns around AI in music have steadily grown over the last year. Fake songs have appeared on the profiles of Australian acts Pond, Polaris, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, and Thy Art Is Murder. Meanwhile, Crowded House were victims of an AI post that alleged that frontman Neil Finn suffered from “erectile dysfunction.”
Earlier this year, rapper and producer Timbaland launched a new company called Stage Zero and announced the signing of AI “artist” TaTa.
In July, the band The Velvet Sundown made waves due to its use of AI and claims that it existed as a “hoax.” On the streaming service Deezer, the following disclaimer was shared: “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”
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