Pussy Riot shared the first glimpse of their forthcoming EP earlier this month with the track “RAGE,” and now we’re getting another peak with the Dorian Electra collaboration “TOXIC.” Part hyper-pop and part screamo-punk, “TOXIC” is an anthem for ruinous, co-dependent relationships. “Cause I’m feeling toxic / Don’t think I can stop it,” Electra sings during the chorus. “This combo is deadly / We used to be friendly.”
The track is produced by 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, featuring the blissfully nauseating signature combo of industrial bangs and pitched-up synths sugary enough to rot your teeth. During one incredible verse, Nadya taunts: “Come here mansplain me / Your balls meet my knee / Freedom I’m craving / Dare to mansplain me.” From jacked-up synthpop to unsettling screams, “TOXIC” mirrors the colossal shifts in abusive relationships, like love-bombing and gaslighting.
Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova explained in a press statement that the song is inspired by her own experience in an abusive relationship. “‘TOXIC’ is political, because personal is political. The single reflects on the importance of self-care, cherishing your mental health and staying away from relationships that poison you. A few years ago I went through an emotionally abusive relationship (that ended up being physically abusive, too—I was being held against my will in a house we lived in).”
Tolokonnikova also said that creating art is the best way for her to process trauma, which is why she wrote “TOXIC” with Electra and Brady. “Besides music, I use other tools to convince others to put their mental health first, train themselves to recognize emotional violence and leave abusive relationships ASAP.”
The accompanying video was directed by Tolokonnikova with 3D art work by artist Ksti Hu. Watch below.
