_{By Luke Fuller}

AUXO., composed of Ben Davie and Austin Cannon, is a project that defies any introduction; just listen to any one of their songs and you’ll know exactly what they’re about. Their vibrant instrumentation, heavy drums, and reverb-washed vocals have become a mainstay in the Provo electronic scene. They serve as a beacon of unique and strange energy that demands the attention of everyone around. The way they dress, act, and perform is undeniably AUXO. every time. Their release, AUXILIARY, from last September is the perfect addition to this brand that they have cultivated for themselves.

This album really is a gift that keeps on giving. At first, the listener finds themself in a Y2K-flavored futuristic freefall on “BIKERIDE.” Everything is bright, glitchy, and sprinkled with a touch of youthful angst that drives these tracks from mere ear candy into a nostalgic delicacy. The distortion of the synths and drums are perfectly balanced by the softer sounds and vocals.

I’m a huge fan of the track “NEVADAA,” whose position as the second track helps to boost the listener through the rest of the album. It sets the tone with the classic AUXO. lyricism, expressing feelings of boldness in the face of fear. The line “Baby, I got you,” gives a sense of safety despite the rising tension, which then leads into a drop that evokes a euphoric feeling reminiscent of when I was first getting into this kind of music. There’s an intensity and excitement here that I cannot get enough of, and I mean it as a compliment when I say it makes me feel like a kid again.

This album also surprised me with some of the most heart-wrenching lyrics I’ve heard lately, with songs like “OPTIC….DISCONNECTED” genuinely bringing tears to my eyes. The surrounding instrumental moves at such a speed that you can’t help but be dragged along with it, which creates this sense of relief from the heaviness you may feel listening to the lyrics alone. You’re sucked from a vulnerable one-on-one experience into a spacey DnB track. It feels as though you were a time traveler looking back on an old love you’ve lost, only to run out of time and be sent home.

To indulge in some slight hyperbole, it’s not common one finds a piece of work that is so adamantly itself, something that seems to be placed on earth by divine hands to spark the minds of humanity. Art like this comes from a deep understanding of the works that influence them, creating a timeless mesh of genre and style that remains fresh no matter how old it gets. AUXO. borrows from the carefree attitude of artists from the grunge era, the aesthetics of the early 2000s, the wide sound of EDM popularized in the 2010s, and a distinct vocal style you’ll only really find in hyperpop or rap post-2015. They blend it together so seamlessly you won’t even notice, much in the same way you don’t notice the eggs or vanilla individually in a cake. Every piece works together to make a sum greater than its parts.

AUXO. does live shows somewhat regularly and in addition to streaming, you can get AUXILLARY on CD via the group’s Bandcamp. It’s a fantastic work of art and you definitely won’t regret spending the afternoon listening to it however you can. With another new album having just come out, I’m excited to have so much incredible music from the duo to jam out to. They can be found @benauxo and @austinauxo on Instagram. Check out “NEVADAA” below!