In a truly international collaboration between multiple musicians, electronic producer Boys Noize and feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot are coming together with the help of electronic pop singer Alice Glass. The single “Chastity” is the kind of track that only comes about when so many creative minds working in tangent create something unique and singular from what they’re typically known for. Both Glass and Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot) trade commanding lyrics, the same way the production demands your attention and puts you in the headspace of a dominatrix.
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Boys Noize’s production alone captures the spirit of the Berlin techno scene, offering more than enough room for the two vocalists to ride on. But the lyrics from Glass and Tolokonnikova make the song so infectious early in the runtime. Absurd lines like “Put it in a dick cage” are to be expected from Pussy Riot. Yet with the combined thrashing of techno textures driving the song forward, it hits differently and benefits from Glass’ inclusion.
Momentarily moving into a brief breakbeat about halfway through the track, where the sound of drumsticks clashing against pure steel is heard, “Chastity” is mainly driven by an ascending and descending synth pattern. Though it never increases or decreases in speed, it somehow becomes more fast-paced as the song progresses, putting you on a Peloton heading straight to the netherworld.
Tolokonnikova, speaking on “Chastity,” said, “This song will put the patriarchy in a tiny cage and throw the key out.” The track certainly achieves that goal, but the music video is what puts the patriarchy through a kaleidoscopic meat grinder by ways of AI-generated art. Animated by directing duo TRLLM and created using the website LIL INTERNET, the visuals are best described as fictitious screencaps of 60s exploitation movies that spiral out of control, much like the song’s instrumental. The life-like artwork is beyond anything a human could come up with all on their own, while the animation made to make the still images move and lip sync travels far into the uncanny valley.
Whether or not the three-way collaboration is a one-time occurrence is, as of now, up in the air. If “Chastity” stands alone, it does more than enough to justify the combining of creative minds and live up to Tolokonnikova’s assertion.
Words: David Sosa
“Chastity” by Boys Noize and Pussy Riot, featuring Alice Glass, is out on all streaming services. For more on their music and live shows, follow Boys Noize, Pussy Riot, and Alice Glass on Instagram.
