Comedian Tim Minchin says the songs on his new album centre around remaining faithful to wife Sarah

Tim Minchin has revealed that the second single from his debut studio album centres around the temptations he faces on tour and the strength it takes him to remain faithful.

The comedian, 44 – who has been married to wife Sarah since 2002 – discussed the new tune, I’ll Take Lonely Tonight, as being a celebration of his ability to remain loyal while spending long hours on the road away from his family. 

Tim told NME: ‘The release you are driven towards when you are wanting to f*** someone is f***ing. But the song, slightly ironically, drives towards a release of relief, the bliss, the almost-ecstatic orgasmic bliss of having not f***ed up.’ 

While another song on his upcoming album, The Absence Of You, details a sole incident of his unfaithfulness, Tim explained that I’ll Take Lonely Tonight ‘digs further’ into his plight on the whole. 

‘When you’re a 45-year-old man who’s been married since they were young, and you spend your life touring, it’s just… I think everyone writes about love, but most people write absolute bullsh** about it,’ he stated. 

Speaking about how his wife Sarah – with whom he shares daughter Violet, 13, and son Caspar, 10 – Tim admitted that she does find the songs ’emotionally difficult’ to listen to in the first instance. 

‘The honest truth about love and long-term love is that you have to choose it again, again and again, and it only gets harder to choose, not easier,’ he added. 

Tim’s first studio album is entitled Apart Together and will be released in November. 

This comes after Tim urged musicians to find inspiration outside of the coronavirus pandemic.

The former Matilda The Musical composer told The Daily Telegraph that he dreads hearing endless tracks about the virus.

The Triple J host said: ‘I hope we don’t all only write about viruses for the next two years’.

He added that perhaps the opinion of musicians isn’t needed on the topic.

Tim said: ‘I think there is this quite modern post-internet tendency for everyone to suddenly think that their opinion on COVID-19… is their business.’