Skrillex is in his feral era again, and honestly, we’ve missed this version of him. Without warning, he unloaded Hit Me Where It Hurts X, a five-track detonation that reminds everyone why he changed electronic music in the first place. Fans woke up expecting a normal Thursday and instead got an EP loaded with heavyweight collabs, experimental swings, and a full-circle energy that screams rebirth.
After the mayhem of April’s anarchic album Fck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3*, you’d think he’d slow down. Yeah, no. This is Skrillex. Momentum is the religion.
The new EP arrives as the producer preps for the 2026 Grammys, where he’s up for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Recording for “Voltage.” And this latest drop? It sounds like a guy who’s not just competing in the category but planning to break it open.
A Return to the Brutal, Beautiful Roots
If Skrillex’s 2024 album was his artistic emancipation letter, Hit Me Where It Hurts X is the victory lap where he flexes all the freedoms he’s earned. The project feels like OWSLA-era Sonny got teleported into the future and handed a bigger sound system.
The opener “fuze” is basically a jump scare disguised as a track. It starts soft, almost meditative, before Skrillex and ISOxo yank the steering wheel into a snarling drop that feels like a flashbang going off in your chest. It’s the closest he’s come to classic brostep aggression in years, but sharpened with a modern, metallic edge.
From there, things get even more unhinged. “while you were sleeping” teams Skrillex with Virtual Riot and Nakeesha for a nuclear rave track designed for festivals that refuse to turn the music down after 4 AM. Breakbeats collide with synths that sound like they’re eating each other. If the early OWSLA basement energy ever needed a modern update, this is it.
“move ting,” his collab with Moody Good, is pure swamp-level bass. Thick, slithery subs under high-pitched screeches. It’s dirty. It’s rude. It’s perfect.
The Title Track Is the Big Curveball
The emotional centerpiece is the reimagined title track “Hit Me Where It Hurts X,” which flips Caroline Polachek’s 2019 gem from Pang into a four-on-the-floor fever dream. Dylan Brady (100 gecs) throws glittery chaos at the walls, Skrillex grounds it with pounding kicks, and Polachek delivers vocals that glide over the noise like a ghost with unfinished business.
It’s the exact kind of unpredictable mix Skrillex thrives in: high art meets digital anarchism.
A Legendary Track Gets Reborn
The EP closes with “voltage (see you again),” a fresh version of the long-mythologized “VOLTAGE” that fans have been begging for since 2011. This take adds emotional weight, almost like Skrillex is acknowledging how far he’s come since those early days of YouTube rips and warehouse raves.
Collaborators Varg2™, Eurohead, LOAM, swedm®, and Virtual Riot help him transform the track from a cult relic into a cinematic finale. It’s a nostalgia hit without feeling like nostalgia bait.
So… Is OWSLA Actually Coming Back?
This EP keeps dropping breadcrumbs pointing toward a new era for OWSLA, Skrillex’s once-dominant label that shaped early-2010s bass culture. He’s hinted at a “new phase,” and Hit Me Where It Hurts X feels like the kind of release that could relight that fuse.
Remember: OWSLA was the home base for contrarian weirdos and innovators. If Skrillex wants to revive it with this energy? The bass scene is not ready.
FAQ
1. What is Skrillex’s new EP Hit Me Where It Hurts X about?
It’s a five-track EP exploring heavy bass, experimental production, and collaborations with Caroline Polachek, Dylan Brady, and more. It blends vintage Skrillex aggression with futuristic sound design.
2. Who appears on the EP?
Guest contributors include ISOxo, Virtual Riot, Moody Good, Varg2™, Caroline Polachek, and 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady.
3. Is Skrillex reviving OWSLA?
He hasn’t confirmed it directly, but recent comments and the EP’s energy strongly hint at a new era for the label.