Pixel Grip – Percepticide: The Death Of Reality
Today, Chicago electronic trio Pixel Grip have released their highly anticipated third independent album, Percepticide: The Death of Reality, now available on all streaming platforms.
Accompanying the release is a fiery music video for the focus track “Reason to Stay”, alongside visualizers for all tracks – deepening the album’s visceral, immersive experience.
The album follows a series of acclaimed singles including “Reason to Stay”, “Split”, “Stamina” and “Bet You Do”. Co-produced with Joo Joo Ashworth (SASAMI, King Tuff), and written over a three-year period between Los Angeles and Chicago, Percepticide: The Death of Reality is a raw excavation of trauma, catharsis, and rebirth. The trio comprised of Rita Lukea (vocals), Jonathon Freund (synth), and Tyler Ommen (drums)—confront personal demons throughout: betrayal, addiction, emotional fracture, and disconnection.
The result is a searing sonic narrative exploring the collapse and reconstruction of identity, connection, perception, and reality itself. Opening track “Crows Feast” sets the tone and eases listeners in with Rita’s haunting lyrics: ”Thought that I made a friend, it turns out you’re one of them, I open up my ribcage and let the crows feast. And then they come back the next day and say they’re hungry.” On “Bet You Do”, Pixel Grip takes it up a notch with Rita’s vocals on full display amidst the band’s signature blend of darkwave and synth elements. “Reason to Stay” offers a gripping and emotionally charged confrontation of betrayal with unrelenting force, balancing vulnerability and strength in equal measure.
Percepticide: The Death of Reality marks Pixel Grip’s first fully independent release, a bold testament to their unwavering creative autonomy and DIY ethos of their earlier work. The album is incisive, aggressive, tender, and turbulent—capturing the full spectrum of tragedy, triumph, and emotional clarity. Throughout, Pixel Grip continues to eclipse genre, fusing darkwave, electronic, post-punk, and avant-pop into something wholly their own.
Explaining the title, the band shares, “Percepticide is a portmanteau of percipere (to perceive) and -cide (to kill), signifying ‘the killing of perception.’ Percepticide: The Death of Reality is more than just an album—it’s a visceral experience, a statement, and a call to redefine how we see the world.”
Rita adds, “‘Percepticide’ is a cognitive distortion and a symptom of trauma—beliefs you hold to be true are shattered—as you question everyone and everything around you. My dream is that expressing my rage can help someone else feel empowered and, at the very least, less alone. You’re never stuck, and you’re never alone.”
Pixel Grip will support the album release with a North American headline tour this Fall. The Percepticide Tour kicks off September 23rd in St. Louis, and hits 26 cities across the U.S. and Canada, culminating in a triumphant hometown performance at Chicago’s Metro on November 14th.
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
#_pixelgrip_