We’re back again with some more new music!! And this week, we’ve got a new band to talk about. Let me introduce you to Rizen. Rizen are a band who have been around since 2018. They are made up of members Adrian, Brian, Chris, Mikey & Josh. The band are heavily influenced by 80’s rock & roll which is definitely something I can hear in the track we are talking about today called “Chicken Little”.
 
Now I have to admit, when I saw that I was reviewing a song called “Chicken Little”, I was expecting some kind of comedy song. It brought me back to my childhood to be honest and made me think of the 2005 film, also called Chicken Little. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong, and more happier!
 
The track starts off with the sound of rain fall and a thunderstorm before what I think is a guitar, begins to play a really nice dreamy progression, similar to the start of Adele’s hit “Set Fire To The Rain”. Just before the minute mark however, the 80’s influence well and truly kicks in full force with a wall of distorted guitars and pounding drums leading us nicely into the chorus.

The vocals open up into a really powerful growl, similar to Axel Rose from Guns N Roses, as the lead singer belts out the chorus for all to hear. I really think the band have done a super job of taking that 80’s influence and incorporating it into their original music. In my opinion, if you heard this track on the radio, you could easily be fooled into thinking that it’s a song deep from the 80’s rock catalogue.
 
As we reach the two and a half minute mark, we get a really brief but still amazing guitar solo, reminiscent of one that you would hear Slash rip into on a Guns N Roses record. Again, perfectly embodying that 80’s classic rock feel. I personally think 80’s rock is one of the harder genres to replicate, especially with all the modern day technology making everything sound so clean and clear. The gritty nature and sound of the 80’s is something that is tried too often, but just lacks that kick. But Rizen have done it perfectly!
 
This was my first time reviewing Rizen, and I can definitely say it won’t be my last. I love hearing these new submissions come through, but I especially love it when it’s a song that I can see myself listening to in my own time, and I can safely say that “Chicken Little” has made that list.
 
Solid submission Rizen, keep rocking out!

Written by Jack Saunders

It’s been a while since we’ve had some new music to review, but we’ve finally got some in the form of Lizzie’s latest single “Tiptoe”.

Since we last reviewed Lizzie, she’s been going from strength to strength, showcasing her talent overseas performing in Canada and Spain just to name a few. And now she’s back with a brand new track!

The song starts with the distant sound of a piano playing a really nice and already catchy chord progression. After a couple of seconds, we hear Lizzie come into the track and start us off with the title of the track “tiptoe, got to be quiet”. It seems to me that “tiptoe” is a Halloween themed song, but what I like is it’s not the usual Halloween song which is all about ghosts and the undead. It still sticks to Lizzie’s roots of pop and catchy hooks.

There’s also a mention of “got to run as fast as you can, don’t let him get to you. Keep running and running, there’s no turning back”. I’m definitely getting a Halloween vibe! But again, it can’t be compared to a song like ‘Thriller’. Its much more lighter, it’s more modern, but has the same catchy hook to it. What I also love about this line is how it could be perceived as two different meanings. We’ve talked about the Halloween theme, so it could be Lizzie warning you to run away from a ghost or ghoul. However, it also feels like Lizzie is having some sort of internal dialogue, telling herself not to look back and keep moving forward, away from this person. Almost as if it’s an ex partner, or just someone who she knows isn’t good for her. She’s trying to stick to her guns and leave this person behind for her own good. Really great writing in my opinion.

Another great song in the discography of Lizzie, who continues to go from strength to strength, and is firmly knocking on the door of the big time.

Nice work Lizzie, keep up the good work!

Written by Jack Saunders

If you’re a fan of Fall Out Boy, Bring Me The Horizon, yungblud & Panic! At The Disco, then you are in for a treat with this guy! Let me introduce you to Harry Jxye.
 
Harry Jxye (pronounced Harry Jay) is a young Pop Punk artist from the South West region. He’s no stranger to the big stage with accomplishments such as The Isle Of Wight festival on his ever growing list of outstanding performances. You can definitely hear the influence of the bands I’ve listed at the start in Harry’s music, so you’re in luck if you’re a big pop punk fan.
 
Harry’s latest single “S.O.S” is a perfect representation of the genre. It’s heavily guitar based song with a fast paced rhythm section that keeps the energy on 10. What I like about the song is there’s no messing about, it’s straight into the song and before you know it, you’re deep into the first catchy chorus of the track.
 
It certainly feels like a confessional song from Harry’s point of view. There’s no smoke and mirrors when it comes to the meaning, he lays his thoughts all out on the line. It’s really cool how he’s basically telling us all these really personal thoughts and feelings that are going through his mind, and the things that he’s currently experiencing in life, but it doesn’t feel boring or like it’s the ramblings of a emotional man. It feels fun and relatable. He’s telling you a true story in an energetic format, and one that’s catchy and easy to follow along with.
 
During the song, Harry confesses that he can’t write happy songs anymore. And how he never thought he would make it due to his past of being “chewed up, spat out & hated” referring to the way powerful people in the music industry have perhaps treated him and his music in the past. Again he’s letting us into a vulnerable and hurt mind state, but portraying it in a fun and energetic manner.
 
Have to say I was a big fan of Harry’s past work such as “Fake Friends”, and it’s really positive to see him going strength to strength with this new track. You rock mate!
 
4/5

Written by Jack Saunders

To celebrate the release of Ben Hutchesons self titled debut album, we decided to ask the man of the moment a few questions about his musical inspirations, songwriting, and of course his wonderful new album.
 
Jack: Hey Ben, great to be talking to you today! Thank you for lending me a moment of what I’m sure is a really busy and exciting time for yourself right now!
 
Ben: Hey Jack, No worries at all! It’s an absolute pleasure! Yeah things are pretty mad at the moment with the album being released, now its just full steam ahead!
 
J: First of all, let me congratulate you on the debut album, great achievement and one that you must be so proud of! It’s a really great album and I really enjoyed reviewing it. Tell me how you’re feeling right now, fresh of the back of the release date, and a wonderful launch party to accompany it! How did the launch show go?
 
B: Thank you so much! Yeah absolutely, i’m definitely proud, its taken about 4 years of rescheduling due to Covid and other aspects that delayed it so I’m definitely glad to have it out there!
 
The Show was great! We had a wonderful and attentive crowd with some incredible supports from George Wilding and Hushwing which really made it a special night!
 
J: So for any of our audience who don’t know much about you, how would you describe yourself and your album?
 
B: I tend to describe myself as a Country Rock Musician that has aspects of both Folk and Pop sprinked in the songs. The album itself is what I’ve done to try and make a journey of it. It starts on a high, brings you in for the gut wrenchers in the middle and softly plonks you back down at the end. Each song has its own unique meaning to me but I love hearing people's opinions on what they interpret the song as and it really fills me with joy hearing they got something from it!
 
J: What is your favourite song from the album, and is there perhaps a different song that you would recommend to a first time listener?
 
B: Ooh hard question! I’d say my favourite is one of the last two on the album (Keep the Light On or Came From You). Keep The Light On was a hard song for me to write due to the place I was in mentally at that point but I’m proud of what its become since. Came from You is a song that I feel completely encompasses the vibe of the album and brings it all to a head hence it being up there for me. For a new listeners I’d possibly recommend Summer of Seventeen or Thinking About You. Both are easy going, up-beat songs and really can be one of the easiest songs to listen to!
 
J: Let’s go back to the very start. Who would you credit as your three most influential artists? And what was the moment when you realised that you wanted to be a singer songwriter?
 
B: I’ve known i’ve wanted to be a singer since I was about 5. All of my life i’ve focused on music and its just everything to me. As for artists I always struggle so much with this as so many influence you at different stages in your life. If I had to choose 3 of the most influential I’d likely say Kenny Chesney, The Script and Luke Combs.
 
J: You have had some success in the past with one of your songs “Stand By Me” which has amassed more than fourteen million streams! An incredible achievement. How does it feel to have a song with that many listens? Is there some kind of marketing secret that you think other artists should know?
 
B: It’s mad to think about really! I released through a small label which is where a lot of the marketing came from so sadly I have no tips although I wish I did! I’ve had friends from England go on holiday only to be told they heard my song over in a club in Spain or other places. It’s all very surreal.
 
J: You’ve said that there’s a music video planned in the near future, are you able to spill the beans on what songs we can expect to see videos on and any clues as to what the videos could look like?
 
B: So I can confirm that theres a music video due out at the end of this month! Its a very relaxed vibe of a video but I can’t give away the track just yet so that may help with the guess… as for others in future, I do hope so! they’re great fun to do it just depends if they’re viable or not!
 
J: This is a question I like to ask all of our artists. What is your earliest musical memory?
 
B: Oh gosh! I suppose it’s when I had my first phone (I was probably about 6-7) and using bluetooth to transfer different songs between friends and getting “Apologise” by One Republic and listening to it religiously just as I thought it was a great song!
 
J: Lastly, what does the future hold for Ben Hutcheson, and what’s the musical plan going forward? Another album?
 
B: The hope is to grow the audience and grow the fan base! Then of course it’s all about releasing new music so I should assume that another album will likely don’t you worry!
 
J: Thank you so much for talking to me once again, Ben. Always a pleasure!
 
Ben Hutchesons debut album is available to listen on all platforms. Be sure to head over to the Antix website and app if you would like to read my review on two of the songs from Ben’s album.
 
#GetInvolved​

​If you’ve been following Antix Music Network, or Jack Saunders recently, you’ll know he released his debut album “Chapters” at the end of June.

On June 30th, Jack also performed at his own launch party at The Emporium, in Yeovil, with support from Tim Fawkes and Dave Woan.

This week, he’s re-releasing one of his songs, “Meet At The Light”, and raising funds for the Dementia UK charity in the process.

The song was originally released in 2019 as a single for Jack. The new 2023 version features the Weymouth Park Community Choir. “Meet At The Light” also holds a special place in many of the performer’s hearts, as it was written for Jack’s grandad, who unfortunately suffered dementia towards the later years of his life.

Jack has set up a GoFundMe page, where donations are welcome, with all money raised going to Dementia UK.

All the links you need are below.

Just Giving
Buy The Single on iTunes

Ben Hutcheson - Came From You & When I Come To Town

Since it’s been a while, let’s catch up a little and do two songs from Ben Hutchesons self titled debut album. 

Let’s start with “Came From You”. The song features some beautiful acoustic guitar, light drums, piano and some female backing vocals. The term easy listening comes to mind. And when I say that, I mean it’s just so relaxing and satisfying to listen to. You don’t have to listen to hard to enjoy the music. You can just sit back and let the music take you away on this amazing journey. 

Bens style is very similar to the ginger phenomenon that is Ed Sheeran. Its very much an acoustic singer songwriter album, a genre that I particularly love! Ben describes his music as modern country which I can definitely hear a lot of throughout his record.

What I notice a lot in Bens voice is this very natural vibrato. It’s beautiful and something that lots of singers would kill to have, and this song really shows it off. His voice works so well with the female backing vocalist during the chorus, there’s lots of beautiful harmonies throughout, but the chorus is really something special. 

Next up, it’s “When I Come To Town”. I want to stress that Bens album is a beautiful combination of upbeat acoustic numbers, and some really graceful piano ballads. But I chose this song in particular because of how easy and fun it is to singalong. I remember Justin Hawkins from the band The Darkness once stress that a catchy chorus will turn a good song, into a great song. And that’s exactly what this song is. On only my second listen, I managed to hum along a little with the chorus, and in my opinion, there’s nothing better than when you find a song with a chorus you can well and truly belt, and Bens really hit the nail on the head here with “When I Come To Town”. The acoustic guitar, the little bits and pieces of electric guitar, and of course that really great piano sound really makes this feel like a mainstream country album recorded by a big artist. You wouldn’t believe that this is a debut album!

The country genre is slowly coming back into mainstream music, especially over here in the UK where I don’t think there’s been a country song that’s really captured the nation since “Achey Breaky Heart”. But with the recent success of Anne Marie’s “Unhealthy” storming its way to number one, it feels like a younger audience is slowly warming up to this modern country sound. So in my opinion, this is the perfect time for Ben to show what he’s made of. And hopefully, he’ll manage to continue captivating and introducing people to a genre that usually is relatively neglected.

Great work, Ben. And congratulations on the debut album!

4/5

Written by Jack Saunders

The boys are back for the trilogy!

That’s right, The Idle Silence have returned once more for their third Antix review. As soon as I saw that the boys had released another single, I knew that we had to have them back!

This particular song just shows the versatility of the band. When you look back at the band’s previous songs, you realise that you seem to get a different style than before. The first song we reviewed was called “Dark Matter”, a really dark fusion of The Ramones meets Nirvana. Their second track  "Close”, very much reminiscent of Green Days Dookie record. And now “The Message Gets Confused”. So, what exactly does the latest Idle Silence track sound like?

Simply put, it’s a really interesting indie rock song that’s driven by a bass lick and simple drum beat with guitars floating around a little lower in the mix. To me, it is very reminiscent of Paramore's “This Is Why”. It’s a really cool and funky song. This is what makes the band so interesting and intriguing in my opinion. They aren’t just sticking to one style of music, they’re experimenting and exploring new things which is exactly how you grow a fan base. But don’t worry, if you aren’t digging the chill indie vibe, then there’s a twist.

Halfway through the song, the tempo is doubled and goes into this really heavy rock bridge that is similar to The Idle Silence’ first song “Dark Matter”. It goes from this chill festival tune to an energetic mosh song, before returning back to the original style that the rest of the song was in. It’s almost like you’re watching one band on tv, before changing the channel and catching a glimpse of a completely different style band momentarily, before switching back to the first channel. Definitely see why they’ve called it “The Message Gets Confused”.

What more can I say about the boys? They smash it every time. So it’s about time that they earned their highest rating yet.

5/5