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Pussy Riot enlist Dorian Electra and 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady for “Toxic”

The song appears on Pussy Riot’s upcoming EP, out this spring.

February 23, 2021

Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian group and political activists Pussy Riot, has teamed up with Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and like-minded electro-pop provocateur Dorian Electra for a new single titled "Toxic." Unlike the Riot's DIY punk anthems that caught the oppressive gaze of Vladimir Putin, "Toxic" is a disjointed mosh of nu-metal and rave. In the flash-filled music video, streaming above, Tolokonnikova recreates a hellish entrapment.

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"'Toxic' is political, because personal is political," Nadya Tolokonnikova wrote in a statement. "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).

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"The best way to process trauma for me is via creating art, that's why we wrote 'Toxic' with Dorian and Dylan. 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.