If you happened to catch our annual new year preview post, you might’ve noticed that the top spot went to Chicago Electro/Darkwave/something trio Pixel Grip (And if you didn’t catch it, dive in right here). Now, at the time, we knew nothing about what would come to be known as Percepticide: The Death of Reality beyond that the singles that had led up to it (2023’s “Bet You Do.”, 2024’s “Stamina”) and our growing appreciation of the band following an incendiary live outing as a support slot in Boston (More on that a little later) resulted in a deep dive of the Pixel Grip catalog. But that was enough! And now we can safely say that the early confidence for LP number 3 was not unwarranted.
Following opener “Crows Feast” which positively glistens, shimmering with Jonathon Freund’s synth sounds as Rita Lukea, at her most stripped down vocally, delivers a performance that’s as epic as the sun breaking through the horizon in the morning, it’s banger after banger of previously released singles. And that slew of tracks all starts with “Bet You Do.” which we think is one of the greatest songs EVER. Not talking just Pixel Grip. Not talking whatever genre you associate PG with. Just ever. If we were to make a lifetime playlist this would be in the Top 10 easily. We were late to the PG party, having only dipped our toes in their discography ahead of that aforementioned Boston appearance on HEALTH’s 2024 headline run and while last full-length, 2021’s ARENA, is ferocious the tease of what was next was incredible. Which started with “Bet You Do.”
As an aside but on that live show/”Bet You Do.” note, we’d be remiss not to cutaway and talk up Pixel Grip’s upcoming headline run (Deets on that further below) as that experience witnessing Pixel Grip live on that HEALTH tour reminded us so much of seeing The Faint for the first time many moons again because, like them, while the songs realized in studio more than deliver, it’s seeing the way the band interacts with the music on stage that truly completes the package.
Anyway!
“Stamina”, in the context of Percepticide: The Death of Reality, is delightfully debonair as it precisely pounces thanks to Tyler Ommen’s beats and Lukea’s hypnotic repeated refrains followed by lead single for the album, “Reason to Stay”, which is a gnarly Electro romp with Freund’s synths coming in as equally sexy and sinister swirling over Lukea’s seductive swooning and screams. “Insignificant” boasts Lukea’s fantabulous mastery of breath control/word play while “Noise” is spooky and surreal with theremin-like sounds emanating out of Freund’s synths and an overall sound hearkening to an old school beginnings of Electro kind of vibe.
Next, “Moment With God” is playfully pulsating, practically throbbing with touches of Electronic nostalgia but also something else entirely as Lukea shows off her chameleon-like skills behind the mic manipulating the timbre and tones effortlessly from a subtle rasp to a robust howl… sometimes within the same run! “Split” was the last solo single before the official album launch and is a burgeoning banger, “Last Laugh” is like the cooldown lap and reminiscent of some of Nine Inch Nails’ darker deep cuts (Think “Reptile” or “The Wretched”), “Work or Shut Up” is an upbeat animated ditty, and “Jealousy is Lethal” is a glowing, airy number that reminds us of VNV Nation at times. Closer “Gonna Be Faster” is all atmosphere and aura featuring a lush soundscape created by Freund (With airs of Wings’ “Live And Let Die” melting into the melodies later) with subtle beats from Ommen as Lukea’s divine crooning floats ethereally on top.
Percepticide: The Death of Reality arrives on June 12th and you can pre-order and pre-save your very own now by heading here. For more from Pixel Grip, include all the info on that recently announced headline run which hits Middle East Upstairs on October 5th, hop on the information superhighway and stop off here, here, and here for all the rest of your PG needs.