Great music rarely makes for great activism, and the reverse holds true on Pussy Riot's official debut album. A scattergun mix of icy electronics, pumping EDM, and whispered rap, CYKA (meaning "bitch" in Russian) follows a decade of musical protest performances from the activist collective. Created by co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, who alongside Maria Alyokhina was imprisoned in separate penal colonies between 2012 and 2013, the album's powerful point of view is diluted by weak delivery.
Disappointing Record Led by Co-Founder Nadya Tolokonnikova
On a disappointing record helmed by Tolokonnikova, corny guitars and generically moody synths undermine the activist group's political acuity. Lead single Candy Dopamine, featuring metal band Avenged Sevenfold, disguises its critique of big pharma with cutesy lyrics, corny electric guitar, and inconsequential key changes. Generically moody synths and cliched siren sounds run through much of the record, as does blunt-force EDM. Nothing to Lose is both a cluttered trance track and a commentary on being hated by Russia's "liberal intelligentsia" for supporting Ukraine.
Strongest Tracks Made for Angry Crowds
The strongest tracks are made for angry crowds. Gore (with Cypress Hill's B-Real) is a furious dispatch from Los Angeles's anti-ICE protests, while Disobey soundtracked Pussy Riot's action against the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Using raw-throated, bare-bones punk, the purpose is not musical invention but to seize headlines. Likewise, the album's Putin-trolling title track samples Vladimir as a gimmick to discuss Russian censorship.
Political Impact Over Musical Innovation
Alyokhina once stated that attention from the West is vital protection for Pussy Riot members from being "disappeared." In that sense, CYKA's messy EDM matters less than any conversation it sparks about their urgent cause and impossibly difficult circumstances—not least as the poignant hyperpop closer Outro reveals the human cost of Tolokonnikova's life in exile.
