Russian punk-rock group Pussy Riot released “Riot,” a protest song with German IDM artist IXXF. Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova claims it “is about our fights for equal rights that are happening on our streets globally.”

The song is inspired by two events. One of them is the ongoing protests and demonstrations for racial  justice and equality and police reform. The second is the arrest of group member Peter Verzilov in Russia and being questioned for allegedly causing mass riots. The arrest came just days before Russia’s election on whether to keep Vladimir Putin in power until 2036.

“On the 21th of June, at 7 am Moscow time, 20 policemen cut out the door of Pussy Riot’s Peter Verzilov with a grinder,” the group stated in a press release. “Peter’s electronic devices and documents were seized ‘confirming involvement in the organization of the riots.’ We don’t know the details of the criminal case yet, but currently the court locked Peter down for 15 days under an absurd accusation of ‘petty hooliganism.'”

The song, which is just under two minutes, has a muffled, maximized and frantic production complete with repetitive gunshots. The lyrics are direct and to the point.

The song opens with, “Yeah sex is great/but have you ever f****d the system?” The lyrics “and my religion is resistance,” and “When I cry you’re gonna see/Gonna riot in the streets” present a direct call to action. The last verse references the political state in the United States, addressing police violence and political action by saying, “All these cop cars give me anxiety/All these killers give me anxiety/Politicians give me anxiety/All these fascists give me anxiety.” All lyrics are translated to English from Russian.

The group announced that “Riot” will be part of a bigger project that will lead to the group’s first studio album. A music video will be shot shortly.

“Riot” follows the group’s May single “1312,” another song made in response to police brutality. That song, which features Parcas, Dillom and Muerejoven, was inspired by protests for social equality in Chile in 2019. It was released two weeks after  “НОЖ / KNIFE.” In February, police shut down the music video shoot for “БЕСИТ / RAGE” after they accused the band of making gay propaganda.

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford