Scratchy, contrasting and labyrinthine, songs from Alix Fernz (f.k.a. Blood Skin Atopic) venture deep into post-punk’s scalene enclave, also flirting with hypnagogic pop, resulting in a lo-fi hybrid between synthwave and alternative rock, topped with catchy yet kooky melodies. Singing about bar life, psychosocial disorders, drug, addiction and fear, while drawing inspiration from high heels, lipstick, transvestism, fashion and weirdos, the singer-songwriter lays out along masqued syllabic beats the accounts of a coming-of-age in an era wherein likes and memes are all the rage.

More recently, Alix Fernz has been putting the last touch on a first mostly-francophone full-length, slowly pulling away from English to sing in his mother tongue. Looking to synthesize envy, anguish, anger, revolt and violence into a resolutely positive and tonic serum, he concocts, from the confines of his living quarters, ever-shifting heteroclite pop music that is sometimes innocent, others ironic, but always beautifully abnormal. The Montrealer offers “Wax”, a first single under his new moniker, released on September 12th, 2023 via Mothland.