The cover of MATRIARCHY NOW, Pussy Riot’s long-awaited debut mixtape, features a knife slicing open an aubergine – in case you didn’t know what side they’re on. Headed by Nadya Tolokonnikova, the seven-track record arrives shortly before the 10th anniversary of the Russian feminist collective’s “Punk Prayer” performance in 2012, which resulted in some members spending two years in jail for protesting against President Vladimir Putin. Back in June, the group hung a 4ft “MATRIARCHY NOW” banner from the third floor of the Texas State Capitol to protest the national attack on reproductive rights.
Having spent the last few years collaborating on tracks with the likes of Dorian Electra, 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, and Slayyyter, MATRIARCHY NOW moves away from the riot grrrl aesthetics that made Pussy Riot a household name, instead favouring a more synthetic, glossy sound that takes its cues from future pop. From self-rescuing heroines (“Princess Charming”) to sex-doll-fembots (“Plastic”) and a moody ode to hate fucking (“Hate Fuck”), the mixtape combines political and hypersexual imagery in ways that are sometimes a little too on-the-nose, but fun nevertheless.
Elsewhere, bbymutha returns with a new EP, Bloodz Boi teams up with Claire Rousay on dreamy joint album, and Fireboy DML releases his third album, Playboy.
