Pixel Grip declare war on reality with new album ‘Percepticide: The Death of Reality’

New single Reason to Stay out now + North American tour kicks off this Fall

Pixel Grip is back — and this time, they’re blowing the whole thing up.

The Chicago-based electronic trio just announced their third full-length album, ‘Percepticide: The Death of Reality,’ dropping June 12. It’s intense, gritty, and gloriously unhinged in all the right ways. Alongside the announcement comes a new single, Reason to Stay — a seething, pulse-throbbing anthem that’s less about heartbreak and more about setting fire to the aftermath.

Reason to Stay is anything but tender. It’s abrasive, it’s confrontational, and it’s fueled by a growling bassline that drives the chaos home. Vocalist Rita Lukea pulls no punches here, howling, “What’s the point of giving less than 100%? You pushed me to the limit — what the fuck you expect?” It’s a blistering middle finger to betrayal, and a twisted declaration of resilience.

“I wanted to show that staying — surviving — doesn’t always look graceful,” Rita says. “Sometimes it’s rage. Sometimes it’s just staying to hear them scream.”

Percepticide isn’t just an album — It’s a reckoning

Written across three years split between LA and Chicago, ‘Percepticide’ dives deep into personal and collective unraveling. The band — Rita Lukea (vocals), Jonathon Freund (synth), and Tyler Ommen (drums) — poured their experiences of trauma, addiction, emotional fracture, and identity crisis into every beat, synth line, and lyric.

The title is a blend of “percipere” (to perceive) and “-cide” (to kill). It’s about the death of perception — when what you believed to be true shatters into dust. The result is a raw, dark, cathartic body of work that sounds like what it feels like to lose yourself — and then come back sharper.

“‘Percepticide’ is a cognitive distortion,” Rita explains. “It’s the moment when you no longer trust the reality you used to live in. My hope is that through this album, someone out there can feel seen in their rage and not so alone.”

Pixel Grip’s Reign of Synth and Seduction

Pixel Grip has always been hard to pin down. They take elements of darkwave, industrial, house, and avant-pop and bend them into their own radical sound. Think high fashion rave meets queer underground basement show. They’ve drawn comparisons to Aphex Twin, LCD Soundsystem, and Lorde — and yet sound like none of them.

They’ve been called “relentlessly horny” by PAPER, “a sonic paradise beyond heaven” by The Big Takeover, and their tracks have already racked up over 7 million streams. Their cult following? Fierce and growing.

Last year, they toured with HEALTH and DEHD, sold out their own headline shows, and made jaws drop at Riot Fest. Their music has strutted down runways for VERSACE and Alexandre Vauthier. It’s edgy, it’s sultry, it’s defiant.

Fall Tour 2025: The Percepticide Tour

Pixel Grip is hitting the road for a massive 26-date North American headline tour in support of ‘Percepticide’. It all kicks off September 23 in St. Louis and wraps November 14 with a hometown blowout at Chicago’s legendary Metro.

For tickets and info: pixelgripmusic.com/tourdates

Tour Dates

9/23 – St. Louis, MO @ OFF Broadway
9/25 – Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co.
9/26 – Austin, TX @ Levitation Fest
9/27 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
9/29 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
9/30 – Durham, NC @ Motorco
10/1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club
10/3 – Washington, DC @ DC9
10/4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
10/5 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
10/7 – Montreal, QC @ Foufones
10/8 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/9 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick

10/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
10/22 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Ophelia’s
10/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room
10/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
10/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Swan Dive
10/29 – San Diego, CA @ Quartyard
10/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
11/1 – San Francisco, CA @ Substance Fest
11/4 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
11/5 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
11/6 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
11/14 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

Catch Up Before It Drops

Stream the new single Reason to Stay now, and check out their other recent releases Split, Stamina, and Bet You Do — each one a snapshot of the album’s many emotional shades.

Watch the visualizer for Reason to Stay below

Listen to Split
Watch the official video for Stamina
Listen to Bet You Do
Pre-order or save ‘Percepticide: The Death of Reality’ now

Tracklist – ‘Percepticide: The Death of Reality’

1. Crows Feast
2. Bet You Do
3. Stamina
4. Reason to Stay
5. Insignificant
6. Noise
7. Moment With God
8. Split
9. Last Laugh
10. Work or Shut Up
11. Jealousy is Lethal
12. Gonna Be Faster

PRE-ORDER/SAVE ‘PERCEPTICIDE: THE DEATH OF REALITY’
https://ffm.link/3vmwnxa