Into the Fuck of It: A Day in the Studio with Pixel Grip
Written by Andrea van den Boogaard
Grief from change, lost loved ones, news, relationships - where are we supposed to put it all?
If you’re like Rita Lukea, Jon Jon, and Tyler Ommen, you shove it into a full-length album and name it Percepticide: The Death of Reality. Percepticide was self-released by the Chicago trio in June. The band sets off on their North American tour this September, while momentum from their 2021 album ARENA continues to extend well beyond its release date. “AlphaPussy” just hit two million streams on Spotify, and their song “Pursuit” was recently sampled by Travis Scott in "Kick Out" (without permission or credit at the time of its release).
But the band claims the current moment - And they’re doing it for more than the catharsis of goth-industrial club pop. (I think one Redditor called it music for “hot vampires to dance to, with other hot vampires, at night while blood rains from sprinklers.”)* Most recently, they’re using the opportunity to celebrate the subcultural interconnection between rap and goth; and talking to music lovers about why it’s culturally vital to continue the partnership (while giving credit where it’s due).
Hooligan meets Rita, Tyler, and Jon Jon at their Chicago studio. We’re sitting on a couch with a plate of fresh watermelon on one side, and a pristine red convertible parked on the other.
You all went to high school together and bonded over music. What was the soundtrack of your budding friendship, and how has the soundtrack changed over time?
Rita: One band that I think of as our throughline is Little Dragon. I know that I wanted to play music with Tyler because he liked Little Dragon too (laughs).
Jon Jon: That was a long time ago, but that will always be very special as the uniting musical band between the three of us.
Tyler: Yeah, and I found out about Little Dragon through Gorillaz, the song Empire Ants on Plastic Beach. We all liked Gorillaz.
Rita: I think we were more the indie-sleaze-bloghouse-hipster realm of subculture and identity, rather than goth-ness. With that bloghouse era - Justice, Daft Punk, Crystal Castles, LCD Soundsystem, Simian Mobile Disco, Chromeo - all of those dudes who wore leather jackets and played electronic music, basically.
Jon Jon: Sunglasses and chainsmoking.
Rita: Sunglasses are crucial.
And has that held till today?
Rita: Not at all. (laughs) My taste got colder, heavier. And more serious techno - Deeper house, Chicago House. Being in the Chicago music scene, the DJ subculture, and the heavy connection to Detroit - it just evolved that way. And since we are a band, we love bands! We’re always devouring live sets on YouTube.
Do you remember the most recent stream?
Rita: Was it The Knife? I think it was the Knife, or Special Interest at Pitchfork… Billie Eilish?
Tyler: Could have been. We haven’t used this TV in a while, but we definitely watch them on tour. Like Mr. Twin Sister got thrown on, my intro to Charli XCX was because someone put it on (smiling) - And we watched an old Smashing Pumpkins set, the Adore era.
Rita: We got our first festival offer, and we were like, “Glastonbury! Coachella!” Watching all those iconic sets on YouTube… Then playing the worst noon slots for nobody. (laughs) Riot Fest was on our bucket list for the longest time.
That’s cool. Especially growing up in Illinois.
Rita: Yeah! We went to Riot Fest as kids! Doing drugs and passing out in massive crowds. (laughs) We’ve been in that bitch.
This album is introducing the idea of percepticide to a lot of people for the first time, myself included. What made you want to center the idea?
Rita: Percepticide is the state of mind I was in when composing a lot of songs. More of a through-line. All of the songs point back to this feeling of trauma and grief - social grief, heartbreak, friendship breakups. The songs inspired the name, not the other way around. It just made sense for these stories, the pathology of healing from trauma. It feels nice to publish it. It’s gone now. I feel like I’ve been able to heal.
There’s this group of three songs — it’s Noise into Moment with God into Split. It felt almost like a redemption arc. Is that intentional?
Rita: It was definitely supposed to feel like the stages of grief - Hopelessness, rage, bartering, then acceptance and healing. It wasn’t supposed to be a story, but the curation of the songs is intentional. Those three songs are all very much in the “fuck of it.” You’re just in it, ruminating, feeling hopeless. Brooding.
What was it like recording across state lines for this? How did you get introduced to Andrew Lapin and Joo Joo Ashworth?
Jon Jon: I was obsessed with the AUTOMATIC album. And I reached out to them and asked who produced it. And they said Joo Joo Ashworth. `And that led to collaborating with him in California. And that was so refreshing to focus on recording there for the first time, and to be away from our daily lives. Having that separation was inspiring. But we also recorded another part of the album down the street at Jamdek studios with our friend, Doug Malone. And that was also a key part of the process - that we could just jump in for a day, just keep chipping away. The variety was really nice.
I was going to ask, what vibe do you think each of those locations lent to the album?
Jon Jon: Well, for me, I’m very seasonal. Some of the songs with Joo Joo, we did with the sun blaring down on us in September in Los Angeles. Like the song, “Noise,” feels like you’re just getting seared, hot and dry, like you’re burning.
Rita: Like the cicadas. So loud and punishing.
Jon Jon: But we finished “Insignificant” two days before Christmas in Chicago, when it was cold. (laughs) Maybe that made it icy, cooler.
Another thing you’ve talked about is the importance of club culture, and specifically queer survival via club culture; about it being one of the last few places in America that doesn’t celebrate conformity. Do you remember the first time that you felt that in a space, and where it was?
Rita: Rest in peace Berlin night club.
Jon Jon: Yes, Berlin for me, too.
Rita: That’s where we snuck into the Little Dragon afterparty! They were DJing, but they also had a mic setup and were fucking around, wasted, one dude with no shoes, and it sounded incredible. I don’t know why I was so bold to do this. (laughs) I ducked security, ran for the DJ booth, and Homeboy in Little Dragon put his arm around me and they were like, “Do you wanna go for it?” And I was like, “This is my moment.” And I grabbed the mic and was riffing - I really wanted to show off. (laughing) And they looped it. And I was like, “Okay. This is the moment.” I had a USB stick, and it was the first song we ever recorded. And I put it in his pocket and left. And Jon is just like, “Where were you.”
What else in Chicago inspires you right now?
Rita: My neighborhood. Humboldt Park. Seeing people pop wheelies. Definitely inspired the motorcycle vibe in “Reason to Stay.”
Jon Jon: (smiling) I’m inspired by the gay beach.
Rita: (laughing) The gay beach!
Jon Jon: It feels like I’m walking into a flock of birds, a swarm of gay men cawing. And I’m like, oh my god this is fun! And I become one of them.
Rita: One of the flock! There really is something comforting about just joining a mass of people. You have no identity. It’s just a swarm.
Jon Jon: Yeah, just a speedo. In the water. (laughing)
Tyler: … So all of that, word for word. (smiling) I mean, I live pretty close to the lake, and there’s this pier that you can walk out on, and you feel like you’re completely surrounded by water. I just go out there every day that I can. It’s a source of energy. Lake Michigan. I fucking love the lake.
Rita: He really does love the lake.
Tyler: It’s special. The more silent corner.
Rita: I really like the cement part of the lake, where you dive in. People shit on it, but I think the sand is gross. The cement block, the sun beats down on it, you dry off so fast. I fuck with it.
Jon Jon: It’s better swimming there.
Rapid fire - Name one Chicago musician who made something that stuck with you recently.
Jon Jon: Body Shop. They blew my mind at the Empty Bottle in May.
Rita: Yeah. I bump their unreleased track. I genuinely like it…. Divino Niño is one of the best bands to ever come out of Chicago. Carlile—her new record is incredible, she’s a genius pop artist. Cae Monāe…
Tyler: Cae Monāe for sure. And Sophie Thatcher. They made an entire album accompanied by a stop motion film on YouTube. It’s mindblowing. The music feels like it’s coming from a different planet. So unbelievably talented, so in their own world and making exactly what they want. It’s so inspiring.
So. When are y’all going on tour?
Jon Jon: September 23.
And before then?
Tyler: (smiling) Enjoying what’s left of summer.
Pixel Grip goes on tour with support from Coatie Pop and Psymon Spine from September through November. Their album, Percepticide: The Death of Reality, is available on all streaming platforms now. All tour dates and merchandise are available at pixelgripmusic.com.
*(Attribution: – u/SterlingMace on Reddit)