Erik & The Worldly Savages is the folk punk project of Erik Mut, and their latest release, ‘Break Free’ is symbolic of the path of rebellion, adventure, leadership, and musical passion forged by Mut himself.
Breaking free of the restraints of Western society, Mut, by way of his musical project, musically and lyrically reflects his philosophy of seeking personal freedom, as well as cutting ties with the past, and reprogramming your mind.
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Erik left his hometown in 2008 at the age of 25, and allowed the cultures of the world to encompass him, and thereby inspire his life, work, and music. He formed the band while in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2008, and while based both there and London, England, Erik & The Worldly Savages played more than 250 shows across the entirety of Europe, along with musicians from a range of countries.
8 years later, in 2016, Erik began “Support Adventure”, a company which provides expats and digital nomads with jobs they can do remotely. To date the business has over 160 staff members, living in more than 20 different countries.
‘Break Free’, Erik’s latest EP, was released in November 2022, and is the result of Erik’s work with Dutch producer, Caspar Wijnberg, with whom he had been collaborating since 2013.
‘Break Free’ tells the story of the urge to free oneself from the boredom of everyday life in the West, the 9 to 5 mundanity, and to give a voice to all of those who dream to go against the flow and travel permanently around the world.
“I started Worldly Savages from my own need to break free and travel the world, singing songs which help the like-minded transcend culture and become global citizens,” Erik explains.
‘Break Free’ is musically dense, and yet raw and explosive at times, encompassing punk rock, folk, reggae, heavy metal and world music influences, all the while being wholeheartedly and unapologetically human.
Highlight of many highlights on the record would have to be ‘Burn My Life’, which fully captures that ultimate decision to break from the past. The track comes with a music video, which makes use of archival video, and photos from Erik’s childhood and youth. It’s a sobering vision of his peaceful upbringing in Canada, and how great the break was for him to sacrifice his idyllic “first world” life, in order to fully embrace the entire world of excitement abroad.
Speaking of the track, Erik said,
“I wrote this song recalling a time in 2008 when I was leaving my life in Canada and moving to Serbia to launch Worldly Savages, become a singer songwriter and take music seriously. I knew that I had to leave my life in Canada behind to find inspiration and possibility in a new country. At the time, somebody said that the hardest part was to get to the airport, where you could see all of your past as a finished chapter. This brings possibility to the future.”
Stream ‘Break Free’ on Spotify. You can watch the music video for ‘Burn My Life’ below. You can find out more about Erik & The Worldly Savages online on their official website, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube.
