The Anix is a former American rock band and currently a solo electronic project run by Los Angeles-based music producer Brandon Smith who was originally the band's frontman.
History
Formation and release of "An Illusion of Time" and "Play.Dance.Repeat" (2001–2007)
The Anix was formed in 2001 by Brandon Smith, Bryan Lareau and Oscar Gutierrez.[1] The band made various albums along the first two years of their existence (A Division of You, Digital Rock etc.) but they didn't receive much recognition.[2] The band released their debut album, titled "An Illusion of Time" in 2004. The band's first label released album was "Play, Dance, Repeat" released in April 2005.[1] The band then underwent multiple lineup changes before entering the studio in 2006 to record their next album.
Gaining recognition with "Demolition City" and release of "Sleepwalker" and "Ephemeral" (2008–2017)
The Anix's first critically acclaimed album was "Demolition City". The album was released in 2008 under Chamberlain records. A review was published about the album on Billboard Magazine's vol.120 no.22 issue.[3] It praised the band's style of using 80's music as an inspiration.
The band played live shows in Illinois and Chicago with artist's Cromwell, Comasoft. In 2009 the band first played in overseas.[4] Along with Apoptygma Berzerk, the band played various live shows in Germany.[4]
The band then signed with Cleopatra Records and released their next album - "Sleepwalker".[citation needed] Released in 2011, the album received praise in the gaming community. The song "Warning Signs" was included in the soundtrack of Mass Effect: Paragon Lost.[citation needed] Smith said that the band is often inspired by film adaptations of graphic novels, like The Dark Knight and Sin City.[5] They embarked on a North American tour with Cromwell in 2012.
The band's next album "Ephemeral" was released in 2017.[citation needed] The album contained elements from techno and dance music; a first for the band.
Turning into a solo project and subsequent releases (2018–present)
Logotype of The Anix (2018-2022)
After the release of "Ephemeral" the band turned into a solo project with Brandon remaining the sole band member. He signed with electronic music label FiXT and released his debut single "Fight the Future". His sixth album, titled "Shadow_Movement", was released on 18 October 2018.[citation needed]
After releasing various singles Brandon released his seventh studio album "Hologram" on 10 October 2019.[citation needed] He released his eighth studio album, "Graphite", on 26 June 2020.[6]
The Revenge LP, with 15 tracks, was released January 14, 2022. It includes guest appearances by Julien K, InHuman, and Amir Derakh (Julien K, Rough Cutt).
On July 15, 2022, Demolition City was remastered and released.[7] The album contains all the previous songs (including "The Lowdown of a Fool",
which was released under the name "Double Zero") and previously unreleased demos and songs.[8][9]
On June 2, 2023, The Anix released its tenth studio album "Nightvision".
On February 22, 2024, The Anix released a new single called CRAWL featuring Amir Derakh of Julien-K as a part of his upcoming tenth studio album "Voltage". On April 15 and May 28, "Gravity" and "Shadow" were released as the second and third single of The Anix's upcoming album.
Members
Current members
Brandon Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, programming (2001–present)
