ANTXNXO Isn’t Chasing the Light. He’s Finding Salvation in the Fire
Punk Head: The title BURNING feels destructive at first. Was it always meant to represent healing rather than loss?
ANTXNXO: I wouldn’t describe it as healing so much as death and rebirth. It’s about realising that an old way of living or seeing yourself no longer works. Something deep within your psychology has to break down before something more authentic can emerge. The old self has to burn away to make room for a new one.
Punk Head: ”I feel him burning. Like I'm a different person." What did that lyric unlock for you as a songwriter?
ANTXNXO: It captured the feeling of transition. That strange moment where you realise you’re no longer the person you were before. There’s a sense of freedom in that, but also uncertainty. To me, it represents a new consciousness beginning to emerge. Something new taking form.
Punk Head: You describe the album as "being saved in the dark." Why do you think people are often afraid of darkness when it can also be transformative?
ANTXNXO: Maybe because we’re often told to stay positive and always move towards the light. But real transformation usually comes through our darkest experiences. Pain, loss and isolation force us to ask deeper questions about life and ourselves. Those moments can shape us far more than comfort ever could.
Punk Head: What was the hardest song on the album to finish emotionally?
ANTXNXO: Probably ‘Levels’, because it took me back to a place I’d been to a long time ago. Revisiting those old emotions. ‘Burning’ would be a close second because I wanted it to feel completely honest. I didn’t want to hide behind polished lyrics or production. I wanted it to be raw.
Punk Head: You wrote and co-produced the album yourself alongside Erim Ahmet. What did that partnership allow you to achieve creatively, and how did you challenge each other throughout those nine months?
ANTXNXO: Erim has a real gift for understanding an artist and instinctively knowing what’s needed—not just musically, but visually too. He played a huge part in many of the music videos, and together we worked to make sure the visuals and the music felt like one complete body of work. Throughout those nine months we constantly challenged each other creatively, always asking how we could push each song and every visual a little further. Erim completely elevates things to the next level.
