Evan X. Merz

musician/technologist/human being

Drowning in 2020

31 December, 2020,  Evan X. Merz

The cover for Drowning by FYNIX

What a year.

I remember the year we had our second child, Leta. That was a difficult year. Having a two year old and a newborn in the house was not easy. Ultimately, I failed that test in many ways. I don’t think I failed as a father, but I did a lot of damage to myself in order to get through the year.

I changed jobs shortly after Leta was born, but I was never able to succeed at that job. The anxiety from the birth and changing jobs just took over my life. I developed ulcers and other health issues that took me years to beat.

This year was harder. I know I’m not alone when I say that I felt like I was drowning. With the virus ravaging the country and a president who insisted on calling it a hoax or downplaying its effects, it felt like the world was closing in on me.

And that’s what produced this album. I wrote it in the first few months of lockdown, when there was much false hope, but no real hope for an end to the unfolding tragedy.

This music differs from most of my other music in many ways. For one, there’s only one collaborator on it, unlike my other recent work which has featured many other collaborators. Also, it’s much darker. It’s a bleak, synthesized hellscape that chokes off the light. It’s violent and dark and lonely.

Just like 2020.

I’m proud to say that I didn’t fail this year. As the world was melting down around me, I didn’t drown. I swam. I was promoted at my job. I took a leadership position in my community. I volunteered at the local library. I made things. And I didn’t come out with any new health problems.

But still, the year mostly felt like I was drowning.

Thanks for listening!

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Evan X. Merz

Evan X. Merz holds degrees in computer science and music from The University of Rochester, Northern Illinois University, and University of California at Santa Cruz. He works as a programmer at a tech company in Silicon Valley. In his free time, he is a programmer, musician, and author. He makes his online home at evanxmerz.com and he only writes about himself in third person in this stupid blurb.