Nick Cave responds to non-verbal teen who wrote “thrilling” song inspired by him

"I love the slow crawl of the song, the backing vocals coming in half way, and everything kicking in at 3:15. Genuinely thrilling"

Nick Cave has praised a non-verbal teenager after he wrote a touching song inspired by the Bad Seeds frontman’s music.

Tyler Hartfield was born with cerebral palsy and relies on a digital voice coming out of a computer app in order to verbalise his thoughts.

As ABC Australia reports, the 16-year-old enlisted the help of his classmates to write ‘The One You Feed’, a song that focuses on what Tyler describes as “the battle inside my brain” and his relationship with his carer.

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After hearing Tyler’s completed effort for the first time, Cave praised him in the latest entry on his Red Hand Files site.

“This is so good. The band are great. I love the slow crawl of the song, the backing vocals coming in half way, and everything kicking in at 3:15. Genuinely thrilling,” he responded to a fan who brought the effort to his attention.

“And Tyler’s writing is something else. ‘The wolf who wins? The one you feed’ – is about as smart and as true as something can be, and the final verse ‘Playing on my heartstrings / You never pour your picky jealousy / Onto my growing love for you / Help me beat my way to you’ – is as good as it gets. That last line! ‘Help me beat my way to you’ Wow!”

The latest entry on Cave’s Red Hand Files comes after he used the site to shut down rumours that the delayed release of Kanye West’s forthcoming album was due to a last-minute collaboration between the two artists.

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He also recently reflected on the concept of “cancel culture”, describing it as ‘Mercy’s Antithesis.’

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