New Audio: Vancouver’s RX1F Shares Yearning “Afterimages”

RX1F is a Vancouver-based electronic music producer and artist, who has a reputation for openly challenging music norms while staying with an immediate, infectious and accessible pop territory. HIs work is rooted in an approach that frequently balances experimentation and playfulness.

Driven by a desire to push the boundaries of pop music, the Vancouver-based artist frequently tackles unconventional subjects. “I try to find subjects that aren’t normally covered in pop songs and try to make them into pop songs. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes… less well,” the Canadian artist says. “I’m fascinated by old-school pop songwriting and the puzzle of making melodies and chords that play nicely together. It’s a game with only one rule: make it sound good.

“I want to make music that is balanced: there’s darkness, there’s light, there’s energy, there’s emptiness,” he continues. “I get bored very quickly if I sit in the same place and eat the same flavor after a while.”

The Canadian artist’s latest single, the TR/ST-like “Afterimages,” features a dance floor friendly production featuring layers of pulsing synths, propulsive kick drum serving as a woozy yet lush bed for RX1F’s plaintive vocal telling a story of losing someone dear, being forced to accept its inevitability — and then recognizing that ghosts linger.

“This is probably as close as I’ll ever get to writing a love song,” the Vancouver-based artist explains. “It was written many years ago at a point where I could see a relationship was not going to make it, but it didn’t really crystallize until a close friend passed away last year – it’s kind of loss that you can never recover from. You’re always looking backwards.”

____

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. 

Advertisement

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.