Hiding behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, Isaac Erickson is an alternative-pop singer and songwriter who has been involved in the music scene for the past six years.
Lately, Erickson has been preparing a six-track EP made up of love songs entitled "Understatement of the Year," which he said ranges from heartbreaks to fresh starts.
"My songs are mainly about relationships, the good and bad parts of them. I feel like one of the most profound things in life is interacting with other people and the emotions you feel about them," Erickson, a junior communications major, said.
Since relationships play such a primary part of his life, the musician said it's natural for him to write about the sincerity and emotional stress behind them.
"For me, when I'm in a relationship, it's a really intimate thing-there are a lot of emotions, good and bad," Erickson said. "That's why it is such a prevalent theme in my song writing."
For Erickson, playing music has been a heritage. His father Brett Erickson was in the prominent Memphis hard-rock band Breaking Point, who was signed to Wind-Up Records. Erickson cites this as a huge influence on his passion for music.
"My dad was in a band that toured all the time and, when I was in the third grade, he got me a drum set. The year after that I got a guitar, and I've been writing songs ever since. Music is definitely something I don't think will ever change in my life," Erickson said.
Erickson currently has three of the songs set to be released during the summer streaming through Bandcamp.com. However, he added that he doesn't want to take the traditional road of releasing an album.
"I just want to get to a place where what I do for a living is write and record songs that I care about and people listen to. It sucks people don't really buy music anymore. I don't even buy music," Erickson said. "I guess an avenue I really want to pursue for music distribution is like YouTube or other online music outlets."
For his solo project, Erickson said his influences range between two opposite spectrums. On one side, he noted the poetic-natured emo/acoustic rock band Dashboard Confessional, and on the other side, he said bands like The Front Bottoms have inspired him to "just say how it is" through their raw-lyrical style.
Along with his self-titled solo project, the singer is also pursuing the rap genre, something Erickson said has always been a calling to him. His new group, The Oak Field, has released one single with an accompanying music video titled "Margaret."
The current duo, which consists of Erickson and long-time friend and fellow student Tevin White, plan on making the group a larger and more collaborative project, similar to the styling of famed rap group Odd Future.
"We want to get a bunch of random people to come together for this project. We want to play shows with a whole group of people rapping and being ridiculous," Erickson said. "We don't want to take it or ourselves too seriously, which is the point behind the music."
Erickson noted that he strives to produce honest and genuine lyrics that consist of real life experiences of the struggle and glory that is love.
"I'm a genuine person and I try to write genuine lyrics that people can relate to, that they can compare to a certain person within their own lives," Erickson said. "I'm writing genuine feelings straight from my heart, not just about getting with girls or money."
Students can listen to Isaac Mitchell Erickson at bandcamp.com/isaacmitchellerickson.
