In late 2012 Death Grips played a series of shows without Flatlander (Andy Morin). This lead to some terrified speculation that he had quit the band. These shows were a fascinating change of pace for the band and fans, as they took on a more primal and stripped-down tone with just Zach Hill’s manic drumming against MC Ride’s manic shouts. This year the same thing seemed to happen with Zach Hill. Following speculation that their bandmate had quit (though this was mercifully snuffed out by a rare statement from the band), Flatlander and Ride played spring shows creating a more electronic-based set. I caught one of them at Sasquatch! Festival. They were excellent shows, a sharp razor in comparison to the blunt axe of the Hill/ Ride pairing, and reinforced the democracy of talent that makes Death Grips so powerful. They’re an unholy trinity, and stripping away its star player gave us a chance to appreciate Morin and Ride in a new light. Why was Hill gone? They explained that he was laying down music for a new film he was directing, as well as working on their next album. But more on those later…