The Anix

A Los Angeles-based ensemble blending mercurial electronic pop with alternative rock, the Anix fuses Depeche Mode’s brooding synthesized approach with the anthemic, hook-driven indie rock of the Killers. The group originated in 2000 from the combined efforts of siblings Brandon, who handled vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, and programming, and Logan Smith on drums, alongside longtime collaborator Chris Dinger on guitar. Several years of sonic refinement followed before the trio secured a contract with Chamberlain Productions and issued their first album, Demolition City, in 2008. Cleopatra Records became their next home, hosting the 2011 follow-up Sleepwalker. Their third album, the 2017 release Ephemeral, drew creative impetus from the techno and house scenes.

By the time the dystopian, cyberpunk-themed concept album Shadow_Movement appeared in 2018, the Anix had become Brandon Smith’s solo endeavor. The subsequent Hologram, issued the next year on the independent imprint FiXt, integrated industrial rock and post-grunge textures into his neo-futurist aesthetic, a direction he further pursued on the introspective Graphite in 2020. Early 2024 brought the single “Sinking Alone,” which preceded the full Voltage LP that arrived later in the same year.