After years on the down low, punk rock outfit Fenix TX is set to release their long-awaited EP, CRE.EP on September 30, 2016 via Cyber Tracks. Limited edition vinyl and t-shirt bundles are now available for pre-order while supplies last. The five song EP features brand new songs that reveal the band’s new modern sound, while maintaining that pop punk spirit.
Lead Singer/Guitarist Will Salazar’s near death experience in 2015 served as the true catalyst for the group’s epic return to the music world. Guitarist Chris Lewis said: ‘When that happened, we were mid-writing music but weren’t ready to put anything out at that point.
‘I got the text message in the middle of the night that Will had a stroke and put an online donation together right away.
‘Will was blown away by the outpouring of well wishes he received. That was a wake up call that nothing in life is guaranteed.’
As a result of their renewed drive to create music together, the group recorded CRE.EP, the band’s first studio release since 2001’s Lechuza. The music on this release spans nearly 13 years of on and off songwriting with one of the tracks having been originally recorded in 2004 with original member Damon De La Paz who recently joined the band on a reunion tour this past March.
The song Get Loose is a prime example of the group’s new sound that songwriter/bassist Adam Lewis has been striving to achieve since their 2005 live album Purple Reign in Blood. It lies in the heart of CRE.EP and defines the band’s new identity with its intricate guitar parts and booming vocals that resonate with its listeners throughout every track. While Bending Over Backwards uniquely captures the group’s original sound from their birth in the mid ‘90s that demonstrates the band’s true grittiness that fans all around the world have enjoyed since the beginning. The punk rock anthem Church and State connects with a modern day audience about political issues that are going on in today’s society. It demonstrates how the group has updated its music to be able to build a bridge from their old-school sound to something that today’s society can easily relate to.
Salazar said: ‘It’s my way of saying that our country is screwed up and everyone likes placing the blame on who screwed it up without really knowing why it’s screwed up in the first place.’
Originally formed in 1995 as Riverfenix (the name change was a result of a court-ordered cease and desist), Fenix TX released an EP G.B.O.H. and soon after became the first band to sign with Drive-Thru Records to release their first full-length, 1997’s Riverfenix. Later on with MCA they released two more albums, 1999’s Fenix TX and 2001’s Lechuza, which collectively sold over 600,000 units prior to the band going on hiatus in 2002. In September 2005, Fenix TX announced their reunion releasing a live album, Purple Reign in Blood.
Fenix TX is William Salazar (vocals/guitar), Chris Lewis (guitar), and Adam Lewis (Bass) Their upcoming EP CRE.EP is set for a September 30, 2016release via Cyber Tracks.