Tony Tacheny, Atrophy | Beaming with Pride

In the fifth edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “Atrophy” performed by filmmaker, writer, and musician Tony Tacheny.

Prepare to beam with P-R-I-D-E! Beaming with Pride celebrates, embraces, and spotlights songs by LGBTQ musicians or allies.  Here, we provide background and insight into musicians, analyze, plus go gaga over the decadent bops served up.  When songs dictate deeper and more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is fully articulated.  All styles of music are welcome, whether the songs are classics or brand-new. So, without further ado, in the fifth edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “Atrophy” performed by Tony Tacheny.

Filmmaker, writer, and musician Tony Tacheny delivered an authentic, powerful, and thought-provoking song with “Atrophy”. For reference, atrophy is defined by Merriam-Webster as a (1) decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue or (2) a wasting away or progressive decline. “Atrophy,” the song, is one-sixth of Tacheny’s debut EP, get up boy.  A visual album, each of six songs has a music video directed by Tacheny.  He also wrote all of the songs.  “Atrophy” stunningly commences the EP.  In the caption for the music video, the first part of the visual album, Tacheny writes: Two friends slowly become more intimate, but neither are ready to admit what they are.  Uh-oh… could these two friends be… gay?

Focusing on the music, Tony Tacheny pens terrific, meaningful music and sings with incredible sincerity. His voice is distinct. He brings his vividly poetic lyricism alive with tuneful melodies to match. “I crumbled on top of you,” he sings in the first verse, and concludes, “Would you bury me out but leave my bones bruised?” In the second verse, a self-described unholy person, he asks him to “Hold me down until I can’t breathe.” Is it literal death, or irresistible desire? Is breathing most important, or is it the hold me down piece? Ah, the self-described contemplative folk is in full force for sure. The pre-choruses, although brief, feature dramatic experiences, extensions of the respective verses.  In the first, he sings, “Oh how I worshiped you.” Is he worshipping him, or Him? In the second, he contrasts, asserting, “Oh, how you murdered me.” Emotional to the nth degree, in the chorus, Tacheny has determined, “There’s something wrong inside my bones again.” What is it? “You’re gone again.” Beyond stellar vocals and elite songwriting, the production and sound of “Atrophy” are strong. Never underestimate the power of the acoustic guitar!  The first time you hear it, “Atrophy” makes you contemplate, which is part of the modus operandi.  Even beyond the concept of the song itself, as part of an impressive visual album, at its simplest, it’s beautiful.

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Tony Tacheny » get up boy (EP) » Perennial Records » 2025

Tony Tacheny, Atrophy: Beaming with Pride No. 5 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Perennial Records; Cristyan Bohn, Ketut Subiyanto, Luis Morales Torres, SHVETS production, Uriel Mont from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson, Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay]

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