Pussy Riot have teamed up with Nova Twins for a new single, ‘Bad Trip’, which also features Argentinian producer Mykka.
The track is the Russian feminist punk group’s first new single since May’s ‘Chastity’, which featured guest spots from Alice Glass and Boys Noize.
Pussy Riot leader Nadya Riot (formerly Nadya Tolokonnikova) said of the song: “Mykka played this beat for me and I got obsessed and begged her to give it to me. It sounds menacing and dominant.
“I’m a big fan of Bosch, so I wanted to imagine what would be my version of hell / bad trip in this track — being mansplained and totally dominated would be a version of hell for me, that’s why my verse goes: ‘Mansplain me! I don’t really know what am I doing with my life, how to be a woman, tell me how to be a wife, tell me how to kiss and tell me how to die. wanna be obedient, I wanna be your wife wife.’”
Meanwhile, Nova Twins added in their own statement: “We love Pussy Riot and all that they stand for, so when Nadya messaged us during lockdown, asking us to feature on ‘Bad Trip,’ we were super excited! The tune bangs and they are a force of nature!”
Check out ‘Bad Trip’ below:
Earlier this year, Pussy Riot were awarded the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize. The award is presented to an artist who reflects the spirit of the late folk icon by proving themselves to be “a champion for the voiceless with an understanding of how a platform can be used to shine a light on our world, showing us what needs to be fixed and how to fix it.” In 2021, it was awarded to Bruce Springsteen.
“It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love pussy riot’s anti-fascist message,” the band said in response. “Usually when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honoured to be on this one. We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.”