Skip to content
Search

ThxSoMch

Inside the internet-born rise of an artist who makes A.I.-proof music

ThxSoMch

In an era where online momentum can turn an artist into a phenomenon almost overnight, ThxSoMch has emerged as one of the more unpredictable voices to come out of Canada’s new underground wave. His music moves between abrasion and vulnerability, pairing distorted textures with melodies that feel exposed enough to fracture. Songs like “Hate.” and “Spit In My Face!” spread rapidly online, but the attention surrounding them has also forced him to navigate the tension between instinctive creativity and the expectations that come with virality.

What makes ThxSoMch compelling is the resistance built into his approach. Even as his audience expands, he remains skeptical of polish, algorithmic thinking, and the pressure to endlessly recreate past success. In conversation, he speaks candidly about protecting the rawness in his work, preserving imperfect vocal takes, and finding ways to separate artistic expression from the business demands surrounding it.


The result is music that often feels immediate and chaotic, but grounded in emotions that linger long after the initial impact.

You had a breakout moment online that connected quickly and intensely. How did that experience shape the way you approach making and releasing music?

I try not to let it affect the way I make music. “Intense” is the best way to describe it, because at first the rush of attention and pressure was overwhelming, and it would influence the creative. It still does sometimes, but I try to block it out and create as myself.

Releasing music is different, because then you have to think about marketing and everything around it. I learned a lot early on in that sense. But my favourite part of releasing has always been the fans.

Some of your songs feel very immediate, like they capture a moment as it’s happening. How do you balance that urgency with refinement?

Most of what I write about is from past stories. There isn’t always immediacy in telling them, because they’re about a feeling, and you don’t forget feelings.

Some songs are about things I’m going through in the moment, almost like I’m venting them out. Those come naturally too. In my experience, both can make equally good songs.

When a certain energy resonates with people, there can be pressure to recreate it. How do you avoid falling into repetition?

You do or you don’t, and you let it drive you mad. I remember my A&R once texting me, “You need to constantly emulate ‘Hate’ and ‘Spit,’” which are my two biggest songs. No surprise there.

But I think it comes down to finding time to create for yourself, not just for your business.

Your work exists in a space that’s both highly digital and very visceral. How do you think about the relationship between online momentum and real-world impact?

Touring is definitely important for that. But it’s hard to draw the line sometimes. I know artists with real fanbases who have never toured or even shown their face. Maybe it just comes down to the music and the message.

As your audience grows, there’s often a push toward a more polished sound. What are you most intentional about preserving in your music?

Polished sound is for AI music. Preserving mistakes and raw moments is important. It makes the music more real. I’ve lost my voice recording songs to the point where I couldn’t even hit the notes, and some of those takes are still in my songs.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you want them to feel?

Scared. Or at peace.

A lot of music now is designed for instant impact. Do you see your work as something that hits right away, or something that reveals more over time?

It depends on the song. With my album, I feel like it’ll slowly reach people over time. With singles, it can be a bit of both.

I don’t really think about that while I’m creating, and once it’s out, I try not to think about it. You can only hope at the end of the day.

What are your thoughts on the future of music in Canada?

There seems to be a nice scene coming up in Toronto right now, especially in underground music. It feels like the strongest it’s been in that sense. Every year I see more and more Canadian artists winning, and that feels good.

More Stories

The Rolling Stones Are Considering ‘Residencies’ in 2027. What Could That Mean?
Mike Coppola/Getty Images

The Rolling Stones Are Considering ‘Residencies’ in 2027. What Could That Mean?

The Rolling Stones have been very busy over the past year recording their new LP Foreign Tongues, and promoting it with a large slate of interviews and promotional appearances across Europe and North America. One thing they haven’t done since July 2024, however, is play even a single concert. European stadium dates were on hold in the summers of 2025 and 2026 — the dates even leaked out to the fan community— but they were both canceled at the last minute as rumors spread that Keith Richards wasn’t up for touring.

This has been confirmed by both Mick Jagger and Richards throughout the Foreign Tongues press cycle, but that doesn’t mean they’ve totally closed the book on future Stones concerts. “I don’t know if tours are possible,” Richards told Uncut in June. “It’s the traveling that takes it out of you. But I do see the possibility of us doing a residency somewhere. Wherever it is, London, New York, Paris, anywhere. I’ll play Rome! But I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to throw some shows together in a new format.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Questlove Brings His VIP Game Nights to the Masses With ‘The Next Move’
Christian Germoso*

Questlove Brings His VIP Game Nights to the Masses With ‘The Next Move’

When Questlove is hosting one of his star-studded game nights, which by now have drawn everyone from J.J. Abrams to Taylor Swift, he makes sure to remember a key detail: The tables need to be round. “The rock manager Shep Gordon told me whenever you throw a social event, make sure the tables are circled and not square,” the Roots drummer, producer, DJ, author, and filmmaker says. That way, the guests are always facing each other.

We’re in a tucked-away room on the second floor of a princely Chelsea townhouse that I’m told was once owned by Lady Gaga. Tonight isn’t an official game night, per se; instead, it’s a launch party for the new web series those game nights inspired. The Next Move, which premieres today, takes the popular video interview series concept and introduces something a touch more personal. Where Subway Takes and Hot Ones occupy hallowed ground in the celebrity press tour, Questlove’s new series feels more like a hangout. The show’s slate of guests all come from within the already established game-night orbit, and thus audiences get a view into a more relaxed, convivial perspective on their favorite stars.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ekko Astral Say Goodbye, For Now
Ekko Astral Say Goodbye, For Now
Ekko Astral Say Goodbye, For Now

Ekko Astral Say Goodbye, For Now

Just two years ago, D.C. punk band Ekko Astral felt on top of the world. Their debut album, Pink Balloons, struck a chord with young Americans watching the 2024 election unfold into a repeat nightmare, and made waves well beyond their local scene; it was sad, hilarious, and invigorating, all at the same time. Ekko’s success landed them opening slots for Jeff Rosenstock and PUP, then sent them back in the studio to make a new record they called The Beltway is Burning. They didn’t know how to make sense of it all. All they knew was that it felt awesome.

Keep ReadingShow less
Twin Temple Go to Hell: Duo Talk Satan Worship, Charley Crockett Drama

Twin Temple have announced their new album, 'Doomed Lovers,' following a week of drama with Charley Crockett.

Harry Eelman*

Twin Temple Go to Hell: Duo Talk Satan Worship, Charley Crockett Drama

Before Charley Crockett nixed a husband-and-wife duo from his tour last week over their use of “Satanic imagery,” it’s likely that few had ever heard the name Twin Temple. A cult band (perhaps literally) out of L.A., the group have released throwback rock and doo-wop songs with titles like “Lucifer, My Love” and “Satan’s a Woman.” Apparently that was too much for Crockett and, well, all hell broke loose online: Twin Temple announced they’d been removed from the shows, Crockett defended his decision, and then Jack White got involved, offering Twin Temple an opening slot at one of his upcoming gigs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Future Can’t Quite Freshen His Formula on ‘The Real Me’
Jason Nocito*

Future Can’t Quite Freshen His Formula on ‘The Real Me’

When an artist has made 13 albums and nearly two dozen mixtapes in 15 years, does that person have anything new left to say? It’s a question that hangs over Nayvadius “Future” Cash’s latest album, The Real Me.

Most of Future’s peers in the post-Lil Wayne digital-trap era of the early 2010s, from fellow Atlanta stars Young Thug and 2 Chainz to Southern boldfaced names like Kodak Black and Kevin Gates, have faded back into the regional-rap morass. Meanwhile, Future continues to successfully mine his formula on the Billboard charts. It was his 2024 collaboration with Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar, the Number One hit “Like That,” that ignited Lamar’s historic battle with the king of streaming, Canadian superstar Drake. This year, Future and Drake — whose history together ranges from the self-satisfied 2015 mixtape What a Time to Be Alive to “Wait for U,” a moodily evocative 2022 chart-topper with Nigerian singer Tems — settled their differences on “Ran to Atlanta,” a cut from Drake’s blockbuster Iceman that peaked at Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Keep ReadingShow less