Garrett Anthony Rice Turns Decades of Grief Into Hope on “Going Up (to see him)”

Some songs are written from imagination, while others come from places so personal that simply putting the words on paper becomes an act of courage. Garrett Anthony Rice’s Going Up (to see him) belongs firmly in the second category. Released on August 24, 2026, the song is an intimate tribute to Rice’s best friend, who died by suicide at just 21 in Dublin during the early 1990s. More than three decades later, Rice has finally found a way to express the grief he had carried for years.

What makes the song especially moving is that Rice does not present grief as something that simply disappears with time. He explains that he was unable to write the words or record the music until the sessions for his forthcoming double album, EQUINOX, in 2024. That long period of silence gives the song an extraordinary sense of emotional weight. This isn’t simply a song about loss. It is the sound of someone finally confronting something he had been carrying for decades. 

The musical contributors also help give the song the scale its subject deserves. Tim Will provides piano, Geoff Dugmore plays drums, Chris Webb contributes bass, and Adam Phillips adds electric guitar, while the Dublin African Gospel Choir brings soaring backing vocals. Producer Chris Potter oversaw the recording, which took place across Kore Studios in London, Potter’s home studio in Bournemouth, and Darklands Studio in Dublin.   

For me, the gospel choir is particularly significant because it adds a feeling of warmth and elevation to a subject that could easily become overwhelmingly dark. The song isn’t simply about remembering someone who is gone. Rice wants it to offer comfort to people who have experienced a similar loss, reminding them that the connection they shared with that person can continue through memory, love, and the lasting impact they left behind.

Going Up (to see him) also introduces EQUINOX, an ambitious 18-track double album scheduled for September 2026. The project appears to reflect an artist willing to explore deeply personal experiences rather than keeping his songwriting safely at a distance. Rice’s recent live performance at the Hendrick Hotel Smithfield in Dublin also demonstrates his ability to bring that emotional honesty directly to an audience. 

Ultimately, Going Up (to see him) is powerful because it doesn’t try to disguise the pain behind its story. Rice has taken decades of grief and transformed it into something that can potentially comfort others facing similar circumstances. It is vulnerable, sincere, and deeply human. Most importantly, it reminds us that even after an unimaginable loss, love and connection can continue to shape the lives of those left behind.

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