Released January 19, 2019, the debut album features tracks that were written, recorded, and produced entirely by Jona Ixo.
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The hard-hitting production style of the LP contrasts the somber lyrics of the songs featured. This contrast is a deliberate effort by the artist to create a sense of instability to reflect the chaos in his life at the time.
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With love songs like Gold Soul, Oceana Rosa, and Picturesque balancing out the darker, melancholic songs like Hurt, Move On, and Chemical Stream, Simple Mind is direct reflection of the artist
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Tracks like Open My Soul Up and Chemical stream explore the topic of personal grief and depression while other tracks such as Absolute Zero and Casanova are more light-hearted woes of love.
Light balancing dark is a strong theme woven into the tracklist.
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This autobiographical LP explores the mind of Jona and more importantly his flaws.
I started playing guitar as a freshman in high school. After that I fell in love with music and began my music journey by listening to classic rock hits of the 70's to hip hop/rap in the early 2,000's. I developed a deep love of music over time as I listened to different varieties and genres of music. I had grown up in an amazing family and a good household, so I was very shielded from the horrors of life.
So, when a friend of mine committed suicide in my senior year of high school, I didn't know how to deal with it. The only way I knew how was through music as I was also very silent about my own problems and feelings. I didn't open up until I started writing songs about how I felt and my experiences through that tough time so through that I found an outlet. However, as I got into college I fell into a deep depression after losing a family member.
I felt so unmotivated to do anything else other than music and failed my classes two semesters in a row. I came home and realized that this depression I was going through had the potential to end my life by my own means, so I did a lot of thinking and introspection. I realized the only way I could find a will to live was through my love of music.
Ever since August of 2017, I've decided that I want to take music a lot more seriously and to try to make it in the business. I'm a Native American so my chances are slim, but that doesn't deter me from trying.
