LOS ANGELES, CA- Adrenaline has a sound, and it might just be Pixel Grip’s latest single *“Split”* — a high-voltage jolt of raw techno minimalism that slices straight through the chest and refuses to let go. Unveiled as the third offering from the Chicago trio’s upcoming project, *“Split” is a rupture — a full-body scream into the void born from betrayal, heartbreak, and the slow psychological unraveling that follows.
For those already inducted into Pixel Grip’s cult — a fanbase won over by their erotic, high-theatre performances and unflinching musical intensity — this is a triumphant return. For the rest of us (read: latecomers who’ve somehow slept on the band despite their tracks slinking down Versace runways and their support slots with HEALTH and DEHD), “Split” is a slap across the face, a strobe-lit wake-up call.
The track wastes no time: Rita Lukea’s vocals ooze both venom and vulnerability, flickering between command and collapse. Synth programmer Jonathon Freund and drummer Tyler Ommen deliver a tightly wound industrial pulse that channels the spirit of Chicago house through a modern lens of darkwave dread and post-punk paranoia. It’s the sound of the club just before it combusts — equal parts seductive and psychotic.
Pixel Grip describe “Split” as a “triple entendre”:
“‘Split’ is a triple entendre. First, it means to leave, ‘I’m going to split; see you later.’ Second, it refers to heartbreak; my heart split in half. And third, it touches on a psychological symptom where your perception of someone splits: they go from being your friend to your enemy, everything becomes black and white, and you cut them off – you split on them.'”
If bands like Sextile and Patriarchy (two band I absolutely love) have carved out space in your playlists for visceral electronic mayhem and cathartic hedonism, Pixel Grip will be your next obsession. The sonic DNA is there: the sharp, strobing textures, the androgynous allure, the sense that something dangerous is lurking just beyond the beat.
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