Patriarchy’s ‘Pain Is Power’ is a euphoric club track with a secret

Cult fave LA electro-industrial duo Patriarchy celebrate the interplay between chaos and catharsis in their newest body music club banger, “Pain Is Power,”. It’s the fourth Twin Shadow-produced entry in their Summer of Singles, a project in which the band releases tracks from May to September in advance of their upcoming Manual for Dying
LP (due September 19, 2025).

While “Pain Is Power” is a rave-ready exploration of the symbiosis between agony and ecstasy, it’s not about BDSM. It’s not about religious mysticism. It’s about something even more primal and potent: birthing a child.

“’Pain Is Power’” came out of the experience of giving birth, one of the most intense, surreal pains I’ve ever been through. I wanted to use the feeling of my body being pushed past its limits ‘hour after hour’, while [lyrics] ‘welcome to the party / destroy your body’ invokes a double meaning: it’s about labor, but it’s also about losing yourself on the dance floor,” says Patriarchy’s Actually Huizenga.

Propelled by crystalline analog synths and relentless rave stabs, “Pain Is Power” throbs with an exquisite tension before it drops into a rapturous breakdown. “The song builds the way contractions do — pulsing, tightening, breaking you open,” she adds. “I wanted it to feel physical, like something you go through more than something you just hear. There are also a lot
of small things included in the sound design that I love, including a sample of Winter, our son, screaming in joy.” (Winter also serves as the cover model for the single.)

“It’s not just about surviving pain. It’s about how pain transforms you, how it makes you more powerful,” Huizenga says. “It’s not a new concept, but it became real to me.”

“Pain Is Power” was preceded by three other Twin-Shadow produced singles: “Boy on a Leash”, “New Way,” and “Die Like Everyone Else.” Twin Shadow worked on seven tracks from the upcoming Manual for Dying LP.

This fall, Patriarchy will support The Cult x Death Cult on their upcoming North American tour. Dates are below.

Patriarchy is an industrial electronic band based in Los Angeles, led by multidisciplinary artist Actually Huizenga. Known for their provocative fusion of music, performance art, and striking visuals, the project explores themes of power, identity, and desire. Huizenga serves as the band’s vocalist, primary songwriter, guitarist, video director, and illustrator, shaping its distinct vision.

Since the band’s debut with the album Asking For It (2019), produced by Andrew Means (3Teeth), Patriarchy has continued to collaborate with notable artists, producers, and remixers. Their follow-up album, The Unself (2022), was created in collaboration with Matia Simovich (Inhalt) and mixed by John Fryer (Nine Inch Nails, This Mortal Coil). The album also featured co-writing by new permanent band member AJ English, who uses the moniker The Drummer.

Patriarchy has toured extensively across North America and Europe. In 2024, they served as support for The Cult on their U.S. and Canada dates and in 2025, they headlined a European tour with appearances at Wide Awake Festival (London, UK), Wave Gotik Treffen (Leipzig, DE), Brutal Assault Fest (Jaroměř, CZ), and Sonic Blast Fest (Âncora, PT). Their intense, high-energy performances—combining live guitars and drums with electronic beats and synths—have earned them comparisons to Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, The Prodigy, and Skinny Puppy, solidifying their reputation as a band meant to be seen as much as heard.

Patriarchy Fall 2025 Tour Dates With The Cult
10/09/25 – Niagara Falls, ON – OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
10/11/25 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
10/14/25 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
10/15/25 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
10/17/25 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
10/18/25 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Center
10/20/25 – Ft. Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium
10/21/25 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
10/24/25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl
10/27/25 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
10/29/25 – San Diego, CA – The Sound
10/30/25 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium

Patriarchy Fall 2025 Tour Dates With The Cult
10/09/25 – Niagara Falls, ON – OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
10/11/25 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
10/14/25 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
10/15/25 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
10/17/25 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
10/18/25 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Center
10/20/25 – Ft. Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium
10/21/25 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
10/24/25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl
10/27/25 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
10/29/25 – San Diego, CA – The Sound
10/30/25 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium