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Russian punk agitators Pussy Riot have announced their debut album, CYKA. The album – named for the literal Russian translation of the word "Bitch" – will be released on June 12, and is preceded by a single, Candy Dopamine, recorded with Avenged Sevenfold.
"This song is kind of a love and hate song to prescription and designer drug culture," says Pussy Riot leader Nadya Tolokonnikova. "It started with my dependence on antidepressants, but it’s also looking at everyone now, mentalhealthmaxxing and looksmaxxing via pills and injections.
"It’s not a judgment, it’s just an observation, and my personal experience with these things is that I have to be in a long-term relationship with them for my PTSD and depression."
Avenged Sevenfold previously collaborated with Pussy Riot in 2023 on a new version of their song We Love You to raise awareness of the plight of LGBTQ+ people in Russia.
Other contributors on the new album include Cypress Hill's B-Real and singer-songwriter Salem Ilese. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also listed as a contributor on the album ("I’m not gonna give him royalties though, they can add it to my list of crimes," Tolokonnikova says) and now Pussy Riot would like take the relationship to another level.
"All these old men ruining the world right now act tough, but we see through their fragile egos, and I’m not afraid to call them out," she says. "They are, in fact, pussies. While the world is waiting for the UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House, I challenge President Putin to a cage match.
"He thinks he’s so tough, but afraid of a girl? Let’s see. He loses? He gets the fuck out of Ukraine. The world can watch him lose to a girl, even with all his judo training. He can’t even ura [a Japanese word used to describe techniques executed to the back of an opponent] anymore, but he throws the world into despair.
"Just like Brener in 1995 when they bombed Chechnya, and he challenged Yeltsin, now they bomb Ukraine, and I challenge Putin. Putin! Come here!"
News of the album's release comes just weeks after Pussy Riot stormed the Venice Biennale, an international cultural exhibition hosted in Venice, Italy, in protest at Russian participation in the event. A video of that protest, entitled Disobey, has also been released.
In April, Tolokonnikova was formally indicted by Russia's Investigative Committee, accused of violating the state's 'foreign agent law'.
CYKA is available to pre-save now.
Pussy Riot - CYKA tracklist
Gods Left
Pain / Боль
Nothing To Lose
Cyka Ft Vladimir Putin
Murka
Gore feat. B-Real
Candy Dopamine feat. Avenged Sevenfold
Faceless Pigs
09. Utopia feat. Salem Ilese
Disobey
God Loves The Fierce / Бог Любит Лютых
Cancel Me
Blizzard
Outro
