Hailing from the USA is singer/ songwriter Ian Erix. Now he had a major career breakthrough in 2o12, when he appeared on stage in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil at a live New Years Eve show with David Guetta in front of more than 2.5 million people on Copacabana Beach. I’ve listened to each song that is currently on his YouTube page and honestly each track literally blows me away.
The style of the music that Ian Erix sings is electronic power punk pop which is a lethal concoction as the material that is in the public domain each have an anthem feel to them plus they are completely contagious.
Anyways it was 2006 when Erix entered the limelight when he released debut album For Conformity which was a blend of pop meets punk. Actually this record reminded me of Bowling For Soup. This exceptional debut featured 11 sparkling tracks, I must also say Ian is an incredible songwriter as well. This record featured songs such as For Conformity, Gutter Rainbows, Life On Mars and Indecision all of which were completely stunning. But my favourite tune on that LP has to be Confessions Of A Killer which was a breezy fast pace pop/ punk track aided by sleek lyrics which left me hooked.
2010 then saw the release of the So Scene, So See Through EP but it was in 2012 when things took off for Erix. Now this year saw the release of Sex, Dance And Rock & Roll which is yet another pop punk tune which easily is an anthem in the making. Everything about this was impeccable, the lyrics were incredibly infectious and you could quite easily jump up and down “Woah-oh, oh-oh!/ Turn up the music/ Woah-oh, oh-oh!/ Jump in with the choir/ Woah-oh, oh-oh!/ We’re gonna lose it/ Woah-oh, oh-oh!/ Set this room on fire”. This song has even garnered over 5 million views on YouTube.
Last year Ian released Shangri-La. Written by Ian Erix and produced by Erik Nyholm in Finland, Shangri-La was a boppy, fun-loving pop tune, a version of which was recorded in 2014 by Scandinavian boy band TCT where it was a Top 3 hit.
Last month saw the release of Graffiti On My Heart which was a quadrilogy of songs meshed together creating this spledid short film. It echoes the likes of the continuous Trapped In The Closet saga by R Kelly, also these 4 videos have a Michael Jackson feel to them as there is a narrative to them. Horse Of A Different Color was first up. The video opened up with a young Erix being mentally abused by the step father, aunt and uncle. I cannot help but feel for Ian as abuse like that can easily chip away at your soul. Now this was a electro dance pop cut which was smothered with plenty of gorgeous synths. “I don’t see a reason to blend in with the crowd” was one of the lines of this captivating tune. Now this does tug at the heart strings with all the mental abuse you get just because you want to be different to everyone else.
Time Machine picks up where Horse Of A Different Color left off. The last scenes of HOADC saw Ian Erix reach his sanctuary house only for his uncle to throw a grenade and bow the house up. Time Machine opened up with a bloodied Erix surrounded by plenty of wreckage. “Now it’s getting dirtier/ Dirty like a mess/ Start to fall like dominoes/ Nothing I could guess/ And heaven knows, no one knows why/ Just to roll the dice”. I must say this was a flawless song one which had me hooked. The lyrics were amazing especially the thumping chorus “I’m dreaming of a time machine/ Trying to rewind everything/ Wishing I could see you again/ Do it again/ Be eternally 19/ Dreaming of a time machine/ The only way to fix everything/ Wishing I could see you again/ Do it again/ Wash the, Wash the records clean”. Now Horse Of A Different Color may have tugged at the heart strings but this was an emotional electronic pop cut where Ian was wishing he had a time machine to go back to the day his father was still alive.
Part 3 and it was a new day for Ian. Out From Under was a powerful pop anthem. It starts off with Erix waking up from the under the covers with both the angel and the devil either side of him. The angel gives him the advice When we get knocked out, we get get back up again. This was inspirational advice and the video sees Ian Erix tackle his problems head on and he overcomes them. “Nothing’s gonna stop me this time/ Nothing’s gonna pin me down/ Nothing’s gonna stop me time/ I’ll get, I’ll get out from under”. On the whole this was a gorgeous tune with mesmerising lyrics and a phenomenal music video as well.
The final chapter of this saga comes in the form of Tomahawk. Erix explained how he managed to escape the captors whilst trying to recruit people to fight the good fight. All I have to say about this is the fact Tomahawk which is an insanely entrancing . Actually it is the perfect closer to this Graffiti On My Heart quadrilogy. This had been perfectly crafted aided by luscious lyrics which were both powerful and uplifting “You can say what you want/ Wear what you want/ Be what you want to be/ Blow it up like a Tomahawk”.
Erix is currently working with multi-platinum producers in the US and Europe to put the final touches on his up coming LP, Scream For Freedom, slated for release mid-2016. Based on what I’ve heard that is going to be one extraordinary album packed with tantalising tunes.
If Ian Erix does visit the United Kingdom to play some shows I’ll be there in a heartbeat.
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