PREMIERE: Perth Hardcore Duo CXRRXSIXN Are Setting Music Alight in Debut Track 'Untethered'

We don’t need to remind you that heavy music coming out of WA is simply stellar, and the goodness just keeps on coming. We’re really excited to premiere brand new song ‘Untethered’ from CXRRXSIXN, a band from Geraldton, a town north of Perth, WA.

‘Untethered’ is a track that features the ultimate music video/lyric video. The eerie imagery perfectly encapsulates the chaotic sound the band are going for. The track has hardcore elements, metalcore elements, and a whole lot of other awesome stuff going on. Oh, and the breakdown at the end of the track will blow your freakin’ mind. Of course we had to grab the duo for a chat about ‘Tethered’ and what they’ve got in store. Here’s what Rohan and Julian had to share with us.

Tracks like Untethered give me a bit of a nu-metalcore flavour, how would that align to how you’d describe yourselves musically?

Rohan: We’re a bit of a mixed bag musically speaking and we’ve both dabbled in a lot of different genres. Julian’s solo EP is a testament to that but ultimately, CXRRXSIXN had to be heavy. I don’t think either of us really care which genre/sub-genre we land in, as long as it hits hard and gets the message across, hopefully getting a few heads to bang along the way!

Julian: When I really fell in love with music it was all about nu-metal, skate punk and gangster rap. I feel like this nu-core stuff is just kids that fell in love with that as well. Then they grew into restless adults like us who also feel the need to create. I’ve got no problem with the label and I love a lot of those bands but I also don’t think it encapsulates us.

How did CXRRXSIXN come about and what’s the vision for the band?

Rohan: Initially, it began as a studio project and for many years was nothing more than that. With respect to the vision and the future, our focus is to keep producing and releasing music and I guess if we find the right collaborators, put a band together. Who knows!

Julian: I’m actually really glad you asked this question. I’ve been trying to get that answer for quite a while haha. But I’m on the same train. Keep it rolling. More content. I’ve got a few wacky ideas I’m gonna try and sneak past Ro.

CXRRXSIXN is an interesting band name and a good number plate! How did you guys come up with the name?

Rohan: Names have always been Julian’s forte. He started throwing them at me and as soon as I saw Corrosion I was keen, then he went and put the icing on the cake by adding the X’s in place of the O’s. I’ve got Julian to thank for my fondness of Scarlxrd so I was pretty much sold on it straight away. It was actually a much less painful process than it should have been.

Julian: Yeah I thought that was gonna be a battle. I just lifted that from Storm Corrosion. It’s an album that has stuck with me over the years. It’s so unique and forward thinking. I’ve been hoping we might be able to inject some of that lonely eeriness into our sound at some point.

Interesting time to unleash music unto the world, albeit some sick tunes. Was it a matter of ending this shitty year with something positive?

Rohan: It honestly had nothing to do with any of that. All we wanted to do was get our music finished and out there. Finishing the year with a release was completely unintended but certainly something that in hindsight is actually pretty rad.

I’m not so sure there’s a great deal of positivity surrounding our music but I will say that if nothing else, there may be some positivity in spreading the messages in the music. Hopefully they shine through and don’t get overlooked. We worked hard to make sure that was the case.

Julian: Definitely. I think it’s got a lot more to do with us just managing to pull our shit together. That said, 2020 has been a wild year but we’re in regional WA, so it’s a world away in some regards. Also, Rohan found love so that’s a win right!

Obviously we’re stoked to be sharing the love for ‘Untethered’, I believe this will be part of an EP in the not so distant future? What can you tell us about the upcoming release?

Rohan: ‘Untethered’ is the first single off our forthcoming release “Mark Xf the Beast”. It’s three tracks that blend into one another, following the mental decline of the character in our story (we hope we made this obvious enough to the listener). He tells his story throughout the three tracks.

Sonically, there’s some cinematic vibes, dual vocals, a few huge breakdowns and even a bit of poetry thrown in there. We crammed a lot into the three tracks.

Julian: Yeah, if we did our job it should be a great introduction to our story.

I asked before how you’d describe yourselves and I’m getting Sworn In vibes with that kind of chaotic distortion, who are some of your influences been so far?

Rohan: With the exception of the first track on the EP, we wanted that real dissonant, chaotic sound. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the messages we’re writing about. They were almost made for each other!

Real world influences were founded from how we wanted to sound rather than what we were listening to at the time. That meant trying to get our production on par with other hard hitters in similar genres like Knocked Loose and Alpha Wolf. They do that sound so well, we just wanted to be able to play our tracks next to theirs and still feel proud of what we’d created.

Julian: Dealer! It might be controversial to say it but I’d be lying if I said otherwise. I was listening to a lot more hip-hop before Soul Burn was released. That pretty much changed overnight. And then finding acts like Tallah and Still Bloom really invigorated my love of heavy music. It had been getting real stale before it became nu again haha.

Matt Cutshall too. That guy knows what’s up.

Besides an EP what else have you guys got in store for 2021?

Rohan: Man, we’ve spent so much time getting this EP done we’ve almost not come up for air over the past 4-5 months. I think we’ll just keep writing for now, keep the ball rolling and the creativity flowing. Another release with more tracks for sure!

Julian: Yeah, we’ll be putting more things into action but personally I’ve got my fingers crossed for more Rohan Budd tunes.

Is it too early to ask if there’s some touring plans in the mix?

Julian: Straight up haha.

Rohan: Haha yeh, we need a band first. At this point we’re just doing our thing in production land making music we love, there’s always the calling to get back on stage though. Who knows, if we put the right band together, anything is possible.

How would you describe your ultimate music video?

Rohan: Shamelessly, and with a huge helping of cheese, I’d love to do a huge budget Hollywood clip like the ones I used to watch on Rage when I was a kid. Massive crowds, rain, you get the idea. If it makes you cringe, I’m keen.

Julian: I think the main thing for me is that it’s nothing like Blink’s video for ‘Darkside’. I can deal with pretty much anything else.

I often ask this question because I think it helps get the word out, so what would you say to heavy music fans that would encourage them to check you guys out?

Rohan: I won’t say who we sound like, I won’t say “for fans of” either. All I’ll say is that if you love heavy, intense tunes then we’d be stoked if you checked us out. We promise you’ll bang your head.

Julian: Listen to the EP. It won’t take long. It’s shorter than most Tool songs.

Interview by Ricky Aarons @rickysaul90

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