Absent Friends

By the time of the eighth album Hannon was the only member of the Divine Comedy, the band having split after Regeneration. He kept the name, produced the record himself and was helped by Joby Talbot, who arranged and conducted the orchestra. It was recorded at RAK Studios and Konk Studios in London by Guy Massey and mixed by Nigel Godrich. Parlophone released it in the UK and Europe, Nettwerk in the US on 4 May 2004. The singles were Come Home Billy Bird, with Lauren Laverne, and the title track. Yann Tiersen played accordion on Sticks & Stones.

Hannon told ABC it was like getting the comfort blanket out of its box in the attic. Joe Tangari of Pitchfork gave it 7.8, wrote that the title track confirmed Hannon as the closest thing to an inheritor of Scott Walker's mantle, and called the album an excellent record, though his own favorite remained Fin de Siècle.