New Music: pixelgrinder – Nocturnal

The title track of his new EP, Nocturnal, finds Manchester, New Hampshire, musician and producer pixelgrinder finding unexpected common ground between trip-hop and industrial electronics/rock.

Fittingly, the track does have the air of the night about it, but projects that to the listener in a very noirish and cinematic way. The strings and vocals bring to mind Massive Attack and Tricky, but also Nine Inch Nails, and that ability to trigger such differing comparisons and find a place in such seemingly opposing tonal soundscapes is but one strong point in Nocturnal.

That sonic duality is delicately framed around a melody that has a noticeable industrial pop flow, most of all in the chorus that is as catchy as it is atmospheric, adding to the emotional intensity and open longing of lyrics that pixelgrinder describes as being about the “loneliness and yearning of a long-distance relationship.”

The Nocturnal EP is out now via Outer Darkness Records and can be streamed on all major music platforms, including Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and Spotify. Connect with pixelgrinder on Instagram for artist news and more listening options for their music.