From Colorado chaos to post-apocalyptic rock opera, Evan Thomas has spent over 10 years building more than just a band. With debut album ‘End of Us’ arriving February 13th, TX2 are leading a movement of 21,000+ strong, proving that the most dangerous thing you can do is give a voice to the voiceless…
Words by Tanita Hingerty | Feb 12, 2026
In a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires who’ve seized control of the government, a group of survivors known as the resistance fight not just for their lives, but for the very right to exist. It’s a fictional universe, sure – the concept behind TX2’s debut album End of Us – but when frontperson Evan Thomas draws parallels between his vampire-controlled dystopia and the current political landscape, the metaphor cuts uncomfortably close to reality.
“Like American Idiot, there’s a lot of political parallels,” Evan explains from Colorado, balloons inexplicably floating past in the background of our video call. “It’s its own fictional universe to what I feel like is happening in America and kind of across the world right now. The government will pick a group of people that they can demonize to distract from the fucked up things that they’re doing. Right now in the US, the trans community happens to be a group of people that the government’s trying to make all these laws about. There’s people fucking dying – why do you give a shit about what happens in a bathroom?”
It’s this refusal to stay quiet that defines everything TX2 do. Alongside bandmates Cam from Texas and Quirky from Kentucky, Evan has built something that extends far beyond three kids from across America making music together. The X movement – their 21,000+ member community built on three simple rules: stay alive, stay safe, and stand up for each other – represents a new kind of activism for the alternative scene.
“I just wished I had this when I was younger,” Evan says simply. “I felt alone. The superpower we can have is empathy and understanding what it feels like to be alone. Because I’ve been there, I know what I wish I had – a group of people dedicated to helping each other.”
The journey to End of Us has been anything but straightforward. TX2 has existed for 11 years, though you wouldn’t know it from the “industry plant” accusations that follow any band experiencing sudden visibility. For the last three to four years, Evan has livestreamed every single day – even while sick with COVID, even on tour – talking to hundreds and thousands of people about the X movement’s core principles.
“Nothing happens overnight,” Evan stresses when I ask about advice for up-and-coming musicians. “I had this vision that there were people in the industry who were going to make your career. But if you’re going to make it, it comes from you. I run all of the marketing for TX2. I’m pushing everything, writing the music, building the movement. Every day for 11 years I’ve been building one stair. Eventually you’ll have a staircase, but no one’s going to give you a staircase.”
That patience has paid off. When TX2 supported Ice Nine Kills across the UK in December, playing arena shows and even Wembley Arena, something clicked. “That was one of the biggest tours in my life,” Evan recalls. “All of the shows in the UK were arena shows – a dream for me. When we went to the merch booth after, there were endless lines right after our set. I was like, ‘Damn, we’re doing it. This is happening.’”
But it’s the stories fans share at that merch booth that truly fuel the fire. “Every night there’s at least one fan who tells us some story where this music has helped them. There’s been a lot of survivors, people with stories. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m glad I’m doing this.’ If we can conquer Europe, what’s to stop us from conquering the world?”
Having caught their Manchester show in December myself, I can attest to the chaos and energy that defines a TX2 performance. When I ask Evan how he’d describe the live show to someone who’s never experienced it, his answer comes quickly: “We’re just a bunch of kids from all over who have a lot of pent up rage and energy that we take 30 minutes every night to get all our demons out and exercise them on stage. Chaos is the one word. It’s like therapy for us on stage, and hopefully it becomes therapy for those who need it. I become a whole different person when I get on stage. There’s no rules, as long as I’m giving it my all.”
End of Us itself is a rock opera in the tradition of American Idiot and The Black Parade – the two albums that shaped Evan’s elementary school years. “Green Day and My Chemical Romance were two of the biggest influences for me,” he explains. “Both of those are rock operas – musical theatre mixed with pop punk and emo, one story front to back. I wanted to try that.”
The unreleased tracks push boundaries even within TX2’s already genre-defying sound. “Six Shots Left” is described as a “Clint Eastwood style western song,” while “Lost Souls” evokes Pirates of the Caribbean, using touring as a metaphor through the story of the resistance’s quest for survival. “Die Alone” offers 2.5 minutes of relentless punching. But it’s “The Resistance” that Evan keeps returning to as a favourite.
“That’s another protest anthem,” he says with pride. “I grew up with Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Black Flag, The Clash – bands that would use their voice. We wrote a song called ‘Randy McNally’ and it started getting used at protests across the world, specifically defending trans people. I thought that was cool. Now it’s more than music – I have an impact.”
“The Resistance” embodies everything the X movement stands for. “It’s about standing your ground when the people above you – it’s a losing battle, but at least it’s worth dying for what you believe in. We’re small and I don’t see many people making the statements we’re making. There’s actually been some quite negative consequences for making these statements, but I just don’t care. What else is there to live for besides standing up for what you believe in?”
When I ask about the song’s directness, Evan becomes even more animated. “I like how direct it is. I like to ask questions. Every word really applies to my feelings of what is going on in the world, in the US. I can’t think of a single line in that song that’s a filler line.”
The recently released “Hostage (They Will Not Erase Us)” makes that mission statement explicit. Its creation is deeply personal – Evan spent the first 18 years of his life staying quiet and taking abuse. Moving out brought confidence and a complete perspective shift.
“For the first 18 years of my life, I just shut up and I took it,” Evan reflects. “I was afraid of speaking out. But when I moved out, I was like, ‘Fuck that. Maybe the best thing I can do is talk and inspire others to use their voices.’ I built this movement, and our slogan is ‘they will not erase us.’”
The X movement’s first rule – promising to stay alive no matter what – stems from this philosophy. “Even if you hate yourself, you have a voice, which means you can make a change in someone else’s life,” Evan explains. “You have this invincibility cloak. If you absolutely hate yourself, who cares what happens to you as long as you stand up for other people? I don’t care what happens to me as long as I know I went down fighting for what I believed in.”
“Hostage” serves as an anthem not just for the trans community, but for all marginalized groups. “Immigrants are being demonized. But there’s criminals in the fucking White House,” Evan says bluntly. “It’s this classic strategy – point your fingers at them, don’t look at me. So I was like, no – they will not erase us, they will try to erase us, they feed lies to the nameless, it’s so fucked up how they portray us, I’m exhausted living my life as a hostage. I want to be a voice for the voiceless.”
The music video for the album’s title track “The End Of Us,” featuring Black Veil Brides, brings the album’s narrative to life with striking visuals and theatrical performances. “At the end of the album, there’s only two remaining survivors of the resistance,” Evan explains, “and they’re pitted against each other. One’s a pessimist, one’s an optimist. When offered the opportunity to rat out their friend in exchange for guaranteed survival, they chose ratting out their friend.”
It’s a choice that serves as the album’s central metaphor. “Would you rather shut your mouth and survive, or risk your life but at least die knowing you stood up for what you believed in? That’s a statement I live my life behind.”
The X movement extends beyond just music and slogans. The second rule – stay safe – addresses the alternative scene’s darker reputation head-on. “There’s never a reason an adult should form a private relationship with a minor,” Evan states firmly. “The alternative scene has had a creepy reputation. The only way we can get rid of that is by talking about it. Knowledge is power. I want to educate people to stay safe so we can build a safe scene.”
The third rule completes the circle: use your voice and stand up for each other. Between these principles and daily livestreams, TX2 have built something unprecedented. “I’ve gone live every single day for the last three years to talk for at least 15 minutes about these three rules. Now we have over 21,000 members on Discord alone. Eventually this will be an army of people that can make a difference. Now I have a purpose in being here.”
That purpose emerged from darkness. Evan’s creative process centers on channeling pain into art – a healthier alternative to self-harm. “I used to struggle with hurting myself when I really hated myself. But I realized instead of taking it out on myself, I could put all that pain in a song. Writing music is the best therapy for me now. It’s the best coping mechanism you could possibly have – creating art from your pain.”
Musically, TX2 resist categorization by design. Growing up with My Chemical Romance, Rage Against the Machine, and Green Day, but also Eminem, Evan’s journey from drummer to rapper to singer reflects a refusal to be boxed in.
“I started as a drummer in bands, but I got sick of dealing with singers,” Evan laughs. “I wanted to be a singer but couldn’t sing, so I started rapping as a teenager. When I moved out and got the confidence to be myself, I learned how to sing. Then I missed rapping, so I do both. Fuck a box – I’m going to make whatever music I want to make.”
This philosophy extends to how he views the world. “Everything in life is a spectrum. Most things are not black and white, they’re gray. Genre is a spectrum. People love to put things into boxes, but we’re just literally animals on a rock floating through space making sounds. I literally just walk into different boxes so you can’t box me.”
The collaborations on End of Us reflect both old influences and new solidarity. Black Veil Brides and Ice Nine Kills – bands Evan grew up with – appear alongside friends Echo and Death by Romi. “A lot of these bands understood what it feels like to be the hated band,” Evan explains. “They’ve all reached out like, ‘We’ve seen what it’s like for you, we get it, we’ll support however we can.’ It’s cool to hate on us, but that’s a trend that happens to a lot of bands.”
That support means everything. “One day I’m going to find a band that’s getting a lot of hate and dealing with this, and I’m going to pass the torch down and support them however I can. If someone does something good for you, you want to pass it down.”
Evan’s philosophy is simple: the more heads on the dragon, the better. “I like to work with as many people as I can. I’ve had negative experiences with people who thought they had to do it themselves. Why not work with your friends and people who believe in you?”
With a US tour in February playing the album front to back, Australia in March, European festivals in June and July, and additional tours still under wraps, TX2 show no signs of slowing down. If anything, Evan sounds more energized than ever.
“I’m not even close to burning out,” he insists. “We just did a European tour and I’d hear stories about kids who sit alone and all they have is TX2 – I remember that. Or queer adults saying, ‘When I was younger, I wish I had an artist who was outspoken like you, and now I’m coming to relive and feel like I can be myself finally’ – that gives me gasoline. As long as I keep livestreaming every day, posting every day, touring as much as I can, eventually this will be an empire where we can make a big difference.”
The vision is clear: build an army, one daily livestream at a time. “This could be a fucking army of people one day that makes a very big difference,” Evan says. “I just won’t stop. I’m going to keep cranking that music box.”
It’s been 11 years of building that staircase, one stair at a time. “Every bigger artist I’ve talked to has been long game,” he notes. “There’s a few artists that aren’t long gamers, but those artists don’t have long careers usually.” But standing at the merch booth after arena shows, seeing endless lines of fans who found belonging in the X movement, Evan knows the climb is worth it.
“If I just kept that mindset, I wouldn’t do anything with my life,” Evan reflects. “Instead I thought, maybe I should just shut up and make a difference in other people’s lives. Now I have a purpose. If I can do this and help other people, I want to keep doing it. I want to take over, so when I’m no longer here, at least I know I made a big difference. That’s why I’m doing this.”
TX2’s debut album End of Voice is released on February 13th via Hopeless Records
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