Surprise! Skrillex Returns with New EP, 'hit me where it hurts x'
The unexpected project, out now via OWSLA, is a plot twist built on thrilling, frenetic sonics, with appearances from Dylan Brady, Caroline Polachek, and more.
Rachel Narozniak
Skrillex always has a trick up his sleeve, and hit me where it hurts x is just the latest rabbit he’s pulled out of his hat. The surprise EP, out now via OWSLA/Atlantic, keeps fans on their toes thanks not only to its unexpected delivery but also to its sound. On it, the Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! album maker bridges the gap between where he’s been and where he’s going across five diamond-sharp tracks that prove he's operating from a place of pure creative freedom, unfettered by conventions or, well, much else.
hit me where it hurts x plays like a stroll down memory lane, dotted with hi’s and hello’s from collaborators who help add color to what remains a mostly blank slate: Skrillex’s post-Atlantic era. Enter ISOxo, whose craftwork alongside the OWSLA head opens the project, following its release last month after the pair went b2b at ISOxo and Knock2’s Niteharts Festival in San Diego.
“while you were sleeping,” produced alongside Virtual Riot and Nakeesha, traces back to Fuck U Skrillex, which included a VIP mix of the frenetic number. So does the EP’s effervescent closer, “voltage (see you again)” with Varg2™, Eurohead, LOAM, swedm®, and Virtual Riot, from his Ultra Miami set in March.
Sandwiched between them are “move ting,” a gritty, spry moment alongside Moody Good and Nakeesha, and the collection’s title track, a collaboration between 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady and Caroline Polachek, keeps the energy buzzing. Hear it bubble over below (as well as Polachek's newly re-recorded vocals from her song, "Hit Me Where It Hurts," cut specifically for "hit me where it hurts x").
hit me where it hurts x arrives in tandem with a limited run of Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3 vinyl and a merch capsule, marking the first time he’s dropped new vinyl or online merch since 2023. What all of this means for OWSLA – if anything – remains to be seen. While hit me where it hurts x could herald the revitalization of the trailblazing indie label, it might also be little more than a plot twist that places a big red exclamation point on a dynamite year for Skrillex, who's up for Best Dance/Electronic Album (Fuck U Skrillex) and Best Dance/Electronic Recording ("VOLTAGE") at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
For now, we know one thing for certain: hit me where it hurts x is out now via OWSLA/Atlantic. Buy it on Beatport.
