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Pixel Grip’s shadowy industrial flavor has made waves in subversive music spaces since their inception. Four years after the release of their brilliant sophomore record, ARENA, the trio is back with a razor-sharp LP that synthesizes the best of their creative instincts into songs that are dark yet deeply catchy. Percepticide: The Death of Reality is a cutting exploration of grief and trauma, led by tracks like the brilliant “Split” whose brooding bass-line and shouted hook are complemented by melodic, ethereal verses that widen the band’s atmospheric scope.
With the thrilling Percepticide out now, we spoke with Pixel Grip’s Rita Lukea and Jon Freund about their album highlight “Split,” the self-contained mythos strung throughout their newest record, taking a more communal approach to their work, and much more.
Can you talk about the creative process behind “Split”? How did you arrive at the triple entendre underlining the single?
Rita: The bassline for split came to me during a writing session and it felt really brooding. It felt like the sonic representation of rumination. That first line “you got me tossin’ and turning I can't get you off my mind” just came to me as an improv lyric because I was bouncing off of how the bassline made me feel. When “I think I’m gonna split” came out during this improv session I realized that that was the punchline. And that I’m gonna split in more ways than one. From there I understood how to set up the joke, and deliver the verses.
How would you say “Split” fits within the context of your forthcoming album?
Rita: “Split” is another symptom, just like “Percepticide” is. Now that the record is out, I hope fans can put the pieces together and realize that the songs represent all the different stages of grief, or betrayal trauma, which are very similar. Sadness, rage, bartering, hopelessness, denial, coping, acceptance. These emotions consumed me for years and I decided to change the narrative and take my power back by crystalizing and mythologizing my healing process.
How would you define how you’ve evolved creatively since ARENA? “Split” and its two other accompanying singles are such a strong, exciting evolution from your earlier work.
Jon: Wow, so much has changed since the release of ARENA. That album was very much a DIY affair, and now with Percepticide, we have looked to additional musicians and producers for help. Personally, my biggest takeaway with the new release is harnessing “it takes a village” energy. It was a challenge for me moving from such a home-grown project to something wider reaching with more outside input, but witnessing the end result, it truly feels like the project has grown larger than the sum of its parts. It feels very special.
Your work has bled over from the music scene to the high fashion world – can you speak to the synergy between music and fashion and how they exchange with each other as artistic outlets?
Jon: I’m forever haunted by a quote from CeeLo Green, who said something along the lines of: “If you dress like everyone else and you’re on stage, you shouldn’t be on that stage." Music and fashion blend together because it’s about world building and creating a fantasy. All three of us are encouraged to dress to our own personalities, and we dress inspired by the sounds we create together. I imagine within fashion contexts like the Versace runway, there must have been a synergistic spirit between the sounds of "Demon Chaser" and the curated outfits.
Why do you think it’s important that artists support a cause like End Overdose?
Jon: It’s not a secret that music spaces coexist with substance usage. I appreciate that End Overdose acknowledges this fact, and has a mission to integrate and provide information for music lovers. As artists, when we explicitly align ourselves with the values and beliefs held by the End Overdose organization, I would hope to inspire concertgoers to create a new habit- maybe test their drugs before consuming, or even try going one night without engaging in substance usage. It can be done! Music is still fun without drugs!