With the announcement of this year’s Substance Festival at the Great American Music Hall, we here at SF Sonic wanted to highlight some of the bands and artists playing over the three nights, whether they’ve been around for years or are early in their musical journey. The Chicago trio Pixel Grip has undergone a radical change on their new album, Percepticide: The Death Of Reality. Over the course of their three records the band has evolved from making sweet synth pop to now channeling aggression and hedonism through blistering instrumentation and singer Rita Lukea’s demanding voice. I talked to Rita and bandmate Tyler Ommen about the evolution of their newest album and writing with the intention of live performance.
Tyler King: You recently released your new album, Percepticide: The Death Of Reality. How has the reception to the album been so far? Is external validation of your work as important to you as your own pride in what you’ve created, and has that changed over the years?
Rita Lukea: To the question if external validation is important: sometimes. There were some songs on the album where the process in itself was so rewarding. I remember the day I wrote “Jealousy Is Lethal” I just sat and cried because of the cathartic emotional release it gave me to write that song. I could’ve been perfectly happy leaving that one as a demo. Most Pixel Grip songs are specifically engineered for an audience, however, and the fact that so many people are resonating with the album and are dying to see it live makes me feel really proud and happy.
TK: The first song on your new album, “Crows Feast,” is one of my favorites by the band. It really shows off Rita’s vocal range and is quite emotional. Was it a conscious decision to open the album with a more atmospheric song?
Tyler Ommen: Yes.
TK: The first single for the album, “Bet You Do.,” was released in the second half of 2023. At the time did you know that it would be on your next album or was it intended as a one-off single at the time?
RL: “Bet You Do.” Was written and recorded in LA with our co-producer Joo Joo Ashworth. At the time, we were just cookin’ and havin’ fun. We didn’t realize we were creating a larger body of work, but when we did we realized we set a tone for the rest of the record. The vocal production, the mixing and sound design, all had to match that song’s energy.
TK: What was the recording process of the album like? Was it recorded continuously or was it a more sporadic process?
TO: The recording process was broken up into many different sessions over a few years. Aside from our own home studios, we had a few continuous stretches in LA with JooJoo Ashworth and Andrew Lappin. We also spent lots of time with Doug Malone in Chicago.
TK: Were any of the songs on the new album written with live performance in mind? Are there any songs that you’re most looking forward to playing live?
RL: Yes, absolutely. A lot of them. When I am writing music I tend to visualize myself on stage performing the song for an audience. The music venue and the stage is my creative palace and my muse. I’m very excited to dig into “Last Laugh” live. I just feel like that song specifically needs a room and live drums. And I already have some ideas of live vocal melody modulations.
TK: You recently released the music video for “Reason To Stay.” What was the experience of shooting it like? Who came up with the concept of the video?
TO: I really enjoyed all the fire. I believe Rita and Reese Craig fronted the vision of that music video.
TK: You’re going to be playing Substance Fest in San Francisco and Los Angeles later in the year. How do you approach playing a festival set versus playing a headlining set?
TO: We’ve got a little less time with festival sets so there’s really no room for fucking around, you know?
TK: What other bands playing Substance Fest are you looking forward to playing?
TO: TR/ST. I believe Robert is performing their debut album the night we perform. My very first show in Chicago was opening up for TR/ST while they were touring that album in 2012.
TK: What can the people who see your set at Substance Fest expect?
RL: Honestly, a no-holds-bar set with bangers only and maximum cuntage.
Follow Pixel Grip on Instagram here
Stream/purchase the new album Percepticide: The Death Of Reality here
Tickets for Substance Fest can be purchased here
