At 16 years old, Rex from Greenville, South Carolina is shaping his own corner of the emotive post-hardcore realm. His latest album, ‘I Believe In Fire’, showcases inspiration from the heavy waves of the early 2000’s while incorporating other ambient and unique elements. Since the age of 12, he’s been making music as a way to cope.
“I picked up music as a way to express myself,” he says, recalling how the pandemic shifted his early interest in film toward songwriting. By 14, he saw millions of streams under the moniker “isaur,” even though he was recording on an iPhone with a pair of Apple headphones. But that particular scene soured. “Eventually the scene I was in became pretty toxic and I decided to switch projects and sounds,” he adds. A stint as Crashdrive followed, and now he’s forging a path under the name death_on_impact.
Rex calls this new record a reflection on complicated relationships and personal struggles: “My newest album ‘I Believe In Fire’ is from the perspective of me after multiple unhealthy and (some) abusive relationships over the years. My constant need to find love in places that would hurt me and the cycle of losing and gaining love through out time took its toll, this album is the result of that.”
He channels substance abuse, verbal abuse, SA, suicide, manipulation, and religious trauma through a recurring imagery of “fire” and “sparks” to capture how love always feels on the brink of dying out. In his words, “I also mention things like believing in love, being in love, and forgiveness. I use the term ‘West’ to describe a non-religious-based place of death/afterlife or longing for something that I’m not sure of.”
Everything about death_on_impact leans DIY
Including visuals that piece together elements from old album covers and music videos.
“Re-using stuff from over the years, during all these times, was a good way of summing up this hard part of my life into one piece of work,” he says. Rex remains focused on elevating issues he feels deserve attention: “My music focuses on putting a spotlight on bigger issues. Abuse, SA, drug abuse, religious trauma, etc.”
Drawing on influences from the early 2000s, he cites Fightstar, As Cities Burn, Underoath, blessthefall, The Hotelier, PM Today, The Story So Far, JEST, and The Used. His brother, who makes music as Waterspout, also shaped the album: “I sampled him playing different instruments on the album a few times.”
Despite his young age, Rex doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. “Because I’m a young solo artist with not much else to do but make art, I spend a lot of my time working on it,” he admits.
He’s aiming for a new album by the end of the year, more collaborations, and a film project that’s already in the works. Live shows are on the horizon with friends stepping in to fill out a full band, potentially leading to an east coast tour if all goes well. “We are working on building a setlist and playing around the Greenville area,” he says.
The local scene, though relatively small, means a lot to him: “While the Greenville music scene isn’t the biggest in the world, home will always be home and the music and people are amazing. Local bands like JEST inspire me greatly.”
Rex remains grounded in the commitment to connect with people through honesty.
“The goal with my music has always been to help people feel understood and comforted by sharing my own experiences and hardships,” he says.
