Last we heard from Grimes, she was not-so-facetiously requesting that we submit to the “future General AI overlords.” After 10 months, a Stella McCartney campaign, and a hubbub over claims of experimental eye surgery, she’s cooled it on the industrial nu-metal. Working alongside Deadmau5-adjacent producer io, “Violence”—which may or may not appear on Grimes’ upcoming record MissAnthrop0cene—embraces swooning synths and propulsive melodies that recall Art Angels–lite.

Lyrically, “Violence” seemingly addresses an abusive relationship that thrives on an unequal power dynamic. “I am, like, begging for it,” she coos, before illuminating the toxic cycle: “You feed off hurting me.” But “Violence” can also be read as a metaphor for humans’ exploitation of the environment. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Grimes wrote that each song on Miss_Anthrop0cene “will be a different embodiment of human extinction as depicted through a pop star Demonology.” If it’s uncomfortable to hear her revel in the damage, perhaps it’s because we’re complicit in its cause.