KRXS

Phoenix-based artist KRXS released his debut EP "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" back in January, and even if your parents hate it, there's plenty of good things to take away from the EP, clocking in at eleven minutes between the five tracks. On top of each song having deep meaning and emotion, the EP has a seamless blending sonic influences ranging from Pop Punk to Trap.

KRXS not only finds the aggressive balance between both genres, but also showcases the melodic elements of punk and rap effortlessly. "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" is modern and accessible, while staying underground and edgy.

The opening track "Do You Fuck With Me?" deals with crushed dreams and the loss of loved ones. Another notable track is "Bright Blue", focusing on the classic tale of new love and getting inside the head of who you're interested in to see their thoughts. The EP closes with the track "Parents Hate", depicting the balance of self-expression whether it goes against your parents' best interests or not.

If you're looking for a blend of familiar sonics and themes in a fresh package, stream KRXS' "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" EP. Available on all streaming platforms.

Do You F**k With Me? -

This was the first solo track I finished under my Pop-Punk Emo Rap project KRXS. I made 7-8 unreleased demo tracks with Tazz (my producer) on the hook but hadn't held it down 100% until I found this beat one morning and vibed all the way through it. It held special significance to me because I felt it would sort of set the bar/standard for the rest of the project and I wanted to tell my story as much as I could without losing it's legs as a single.

It's sort of an emo anthem that goes into my roots growing up with a mom suffering from brain cancer and dealing with drug abuse/broken-home vibes I saw in and around growing up in Oregon. I wanted people to know I'm not just an emo kid poser, I've been through a lot and have a unique POV that other kids can relate to. The response to the one-take music video we shot gave me the confidence I needed to keep going with the vibe Tazz and I found through the genre blend, so it worked out!

Regrets

Regrets to me is an absolute banger of a track. Tazz and I wrote it after staying up for 3 days straight making music and probably tracked it 50+ times until it was perfect...The pop-punk guitar riff blended with Tazz's hook and my subtle pop-punk references make it a classic in my eyes. I grew up in the metalcore/pop-punk emo scene in Portland as a teenager and recently found out that the promoter that booked all of those shows that literally saved my life as a kid had passed away the week before tracking Regrets...That's why I said, "R.I.P. to homie Mike Thrasher, Pop-Punk shows all summer.".

It also sort of solidified Tazz and I's friendship in a way and helped us realize that what we had together was something very special. I've had strangers that I've passed out stickers to for promo tell me they already knew who we were and that they were obsessed with that track...it was really cool to have that happen for the first time as an artist that's been trying and starting again with different projects for like 7 years.

Bright Blue

I remember deciding that C# would be my tuning for KRXS after writing Bright Blue. I worked with an incredible beat maker that built the whole song around my guitar/vocal hook. I was FINALLY able to capture that pop-punk forward sound with a break beat emo trap 808 feel I had been trying to find. It's about me never feeling like I fit in and overcoming being bullied in high school by sticking through all the BS and figuring out how to live my truth on my own as an artist AND get the girl...Highschool sucks and kids need to know that it gets better. I think it was also the best vocal performance that I've ever had recorded, I was very proud of that!

Parents Hate

The title track was the vision for the whole record and the message behind it was one of the reasons why I started making music. I feel like it's cliche but parents just straight up don't understand sometimes, and teenagers are sensitive little weirdos that would benefit from some real talk and more honest, loving conversations without judgment. The first verse is told from the perspective of me telling a group of kids exactly what not to do with their lives. I wanted to chorus to be kind of haunting and really IN YOUR FACE about the hypocrisy of everyone saying to follow your dreams but most never even try or are "stuck". The 2nd verse is me flippin the script to what a conversation could be.

Tracking it was pretty ridiculous though haha. My engineer/producer's partner got covid the day before I was set to track vocals with him....We had to pivot to tracking with Tazz. It was so close to the deadline we couldn't push the date back. Tazz and I finished the song 100% and I am so proud of it. The shitty part was that the DAW we were using kept crashing EVERY TIME WE FINISHED...we wrapped around 3:30 AM but we got it done, my tire went flat on my way home too. It was a long night but worth all of the sleepless nights. Give me 10-12 years and I can look back on moments like those that no one gets to see/have except me and be thankful, I love music and it finally feels like music loves me back. - Kill The Music

Filming the music video for KRXS’ latest single “Regrets,Reset” was a nightmare.

“When I tell you everything went wrong that could have gone wrong leading up to and during the shoot, I mean it,” says Kris Radtke, the Phoenix-based punk singer and emo-rapper who performs as KRXS (pronounced K-R-X-S).

“Regrets,Reset.” is the third single from his upcoming debut album X S i T E N S T i A L, set for release in November. Featuring producer TTTAZMANION on the hook, the song is an anthemic ode to skate culture, punk shows and mental health battles.

The music video, from director Levi Elizaga, was shot in one wild weekend at Lake Havasu where Radtke grew up. It features a variety of shots from Havasu’s iconic Tinnell Memorial Skatepark and the Havasu desert. None of those shots came easily.

While shooting in the desert, one of the vehicles got stuck in the dirt and couldn’t get loose. In arid Havasu, as the team was down to one car, dehydration and heat exhaustion became a real threat. One member of the crew even passed out and had to be taken away with the other vehicle, stranding the team until creative director Paul Porras could save the day.

At the skatepark shoot, Evich, the video’s fashion designer, face planted on a bicycle. They later needed 12 stitches and a trip to the emergency room, but their original reaction was to get up and keep dancing to the song.

“That’s punk rock as fuck,” says Radtke.

The face plant and subsequent dancing didn’t get caught on camera for the video, but served anecdotally as a footnote to the chaos surrounding its production. The trip also featured a police detainment, an impounded vehicle and a shattered car window. It was a long two days.

Beyond the track’s infectious hook, Radtke wanted his video to have depth, too. Notably, before the song’s final chorus, TTTAZMANION can be seen sitting on the edge of a bridge. This scene is the only one not set in Havasu, as the shot was filmed overlooking Tempe Town Lake. Radtke said he wanted the scene to “subtly pay homage” to mental health battles.

“When I was a kid, I felt like I couldn’t fit in, and I felt like I couldn’t find a home and I didn’t know where I belonged,” he said, choking up. “Music was there for me.”

KRXS’ “Regrets,Reset” features a video with an authentic vision, but a feral and far-fetched origin story, and Radtke loves it as is.

“I wouldn't have had it any other way,” he says. “For some reason, whenever things are worse, or when some incredible, laughable, comedically bad things happen. To me, when I'm doing something for my art, I know that it's going to be great.” - Phoenix New Times