Nadya Tolokonnikova tells Dazed about assembling a ‘feminist army’ for MATRIARCHY NOW, and shares the collective’s new single, ‘Plastic’
“It’s funny that a lot of people think that Pussy Riot is a punk rock group,” says Nadya Tolokonnikova, ahead of their debut mixtape release, MATRIARCHY NOW. “In fact, it is a conceptual performance art collective… The freedom that conceptual art gives you is unbeatable. It can be any genre, any medium.” The members of Pussy Riot have proven this point time and time again over the years, with a unique brand of political resistance that incorporates guerilla gigs and flashy music videos, visual art and daring performances, beauty tutorials, in-person protests, and, increasingly, experiments with the egalitarian potential of Web3.
Nevertheless, the collective undeniably channelled punk rock (and specifically the riot grrrl aesthetics of bands such as Bikini Kill) for the performance and act of protest against Putin’s government that made them a household name. In 2012, Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” saw them storm Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to perform a short set, gripping guitars as they grappled with security guards in their now-iconic uniform of brightly coloured balaclavas. Tolokonnikova, alongside fellow activist and performer Maria Alyokhina, was sentenced to two years in prison, on charges of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”.
Since then, a lot has changed. Tolokonnikova has made herself geo-anonymous after being placed on a “foreign agents” list by Russia, while many other members of Pussy Riot – including Alyokhina – have been forced to flee the country amid a brutal crackdown on artists and activists that coincided with the war in Ukraine. Now, though, Pussy Riot are gearing up to play a new series of shows.
This time, the performance art collective won’t be invading the altar of any churches, but celebrating the mixtape MATRIARCHY NOW, which is set to release on August 5, just before the ten year anniversary of their hooliganism verdict. “This is really, really special, because Pussy Riot [has] existed for ten years,” says Tolokonnikova, “and we’ve never released a mixtape or an album before, only singles.
Over the past few years, these singles have included collaborations with the likes of Dorian Electra, 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, and Slayyyter, while the subject matter has remained resolutely political, spanning police brutality, Russian corruption, Black Lives Matter protests, and calls for the release of political prisoners such as Alexei Navalny. What has changed is the sound, which trades the early guitars and shouted lyrics for hard-hitting synths and glitchy, ethereal vocals.
“We’ve never actually been into guitars,” Tolokonnikova admits. “That’s why you don’t hear a lot of guitars on MATRIARCHY NOW. I love electronic music, and that’s what I’m doing these days.”
Like Pussy Riot’s recent singles, the new mixtape will see the collective take a collaborative approach, linking up with iLoveMakonnen, Big Freedia, Phoebe Ryan, mazie, and Salem Ilese across seven tracks, also including the aforementioned Slayyyter collab. Asked about the artists Pussy Riot chose to work with, Tolokonnikova explains: “My collaborators on this record [are] my feminist army, and I chose them because I love their aesthetics and I love their political views.”
Released today (July 8), the new single from the mixtape, “Plastic”, features iLoveMakonnen, who also stars alongside Tolokonnikova in the accompanying music video – a creepy visual inspired by her “feeling lonely in a man’s world”. More specifically, the visuals cast the Pussy Riot singer as a plastic doll, which is left at the mercy of a young boy. Tolokonnikova adds: “‘Plastic’ to me is about a woman being alienated, exoticised, objectified, idolised, idealised, put on a pedestal, and trashed at the same exact time.”
Of course, the message of “Plastic” feels particularly resonant (and disturbing) right now, as women and non-binary people’s bodily autonomy comes under attack across the world. In fact, MATRIARCHY NOW shares its title with an action that Pussy Riot carried out in the Texas State Capitol in June, to protest the decimation of abortion access in the US. This misogynistic trend in global politics is also, largely, why Pussy Riot felt that now is the right time to finally bring out their first mixtape, after more than a decade of art and activism pushing back against the patriarchy.
“Women’s rights are under attack,” Tolokonnikova says. “I think it’s a perfect time for you to dive deeper into Pussy Riot’s world.” The record’s cover – designed by Ksti Hu – depicts a knife slicing through an eggplant, in case you were somehow still wondering whose side they’re on.
MATRIARCHY NOW will be released by Neon Gold Records on August 5, launching Pussy Riot’s upcoming North American tour. You can pre-save the record here, and listen to the new single, “Plastic”, above. Take a look at the full tracklist below.
MATRIARCHY NOW tracklist:
- “PRINCESS CHARMING” (ft. Salem Ilese)
- “PUNISH”
- “PLASTIC” (ft. iLoveMakonnen)
- “HORNY” (ft. Phoebe Ryan)
- “SUGARMOMMY” (ft. mazie)
- “HATEFUCK” (ft. Slayyyter)
- “POOF BITCH” (ft. Big Freedia)