Starting in early 2021, Tonix has risen as a young duo (now trio) in Adelaide, Australia, inspired by the synth and saxophone blend of ‘The Comet is Coming’, nostalgic leads of ‘M83’, and traditional synthwave dance music. Underpinned by hand-mastered synthesizer sounds, Tonix feature dreamy vocals from experienced vocalist Sammi Keough. With elements of universally loved progressions and melodies, Tonix refer to careful unison lines, relying on the nuance of saxophone to appeal to fans of artists like Nubya Garcia. 

With practise in improvisation and contemporary jazz environments, Archie plays saxophone with a bright, forceful tone. Henry, as the mastermind of his double synthesiser “beast,” has absorbed the idiosyncrasies that define pulsing dance music and thus emulates the energy of works such as You Were Right by RÜFUS DU SOL. As best friends, the pair work relentlessly towards music releases, perform frequently as an exciting and rising act around Adelaide and South Australia, and busk habitually in front of crowds in excess of 30 000 on Adelaide’s iconic River Torrens Footbridge after AFL matches. 

Previous success on their debut single PEGS, includes #1 placement on the Triple J Unearthed charts for over 3 weeks, receiving over 14 000 streams, over 15 000 streams on Spotify, named “one of the best debuts of 2021 so far” by What’ s New On the Scene magazine, and American reviewer Moanbarrow writing, “It’s not Marshmallow... It’s Tonix. Tonix has done something pretty darn unique. [PEGS] is a product of great mixing and talent.” Era, as a follow up single, explored the techno side of Tonix, and the pair, now known widely as a trio, have almost finalised a nostalgic and emotional EP which they plan to release in late 2022. 

PEGS is the first official Tonix release, beginning their journey towards a shared ultimate dream to play at Glastonbury in the UK. PEGS was born first on a video call whereby Henry (15) debuted his shattering chord progression, sending Archie (16) into hysterics. Soon after, the synth melody was born which would be doubled by saxophone. Through hours of production work spent enhancing kick drum sounds, creating a retro synth-wave inspired drop, and recording smooth yet jagged saxophone improvisation, PEGS took motion. 

Only days before the song was uploaded, the recurring motif of space and outer-worldly sound was introduced through sampled vocals from Andrew Reed, matching the artwork for the single. After two sessions spent workshopping the piece with Adelaide star-producer Mario Spate, the official PEGS audio has been completed. It is an exciting piece that brings spotlight to leading instrumental tones which serve to make people dance. It is an Adelaide take on the exciting heat coming out of London’s experimental jazz, techno, and rave scene. The song's creative selling point is the emphasis on the arpeggiator which inspired the name "PEGS," and the use of the saxophone as the dominant melody force.

Written and produced in 2021, ERA quickly became popular within the Tonix live setlist as a composition that draws attention through consistent rhythmic unison and harmony over a simple set of aggressive chords. Put simply, this song is designed for human rave. At the introduction of a growing riser and increasingly ascending synthesiser, excitement builds towards a break of atmospheric silence, an iconic element of techno beat drops, signifying justification to go nuts on the dance floor. 

After just a short taste of this first drop, the single immediately drops to a numb and isolated synth, foreshadowing the build to the second, even larger drop, this time characterised by a break in which the audience hears a synth bass drop octaves and die out for a split second. What follows can only be described as a tsunami of sound, topped off with a unison synth and saxophone line included to make ERA the memorable techno composition that it is. Its title, “ERA,” refers not to the changing landscape of society due to Covid, but instead the new era of music characterised by a fusion of the old and the new, headed by Earth’s youth. It is this contrast between the old and the new that gives light to the numerous samples featured from the 1940’s, including a UFO reporting, WWII bombing announcements, and even a distinctive air raid siren.