Pussy Riot Tap Avenged Sevenfold For New Single "CANDY DOPAMINE"

Controversial Russian activist art collective Pussy Riot have enlisted members of Avenged Sevenfold for a new collaborative track titled “CANDY DOPAMINE.” The song appears on Pussy Riot’s newly announced album “CYKA,” which is scheduled for release on June 12th.

Speaking about the track, Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova explained:

“This song is kind of a love & hate song to prescription and designer drug culture. It started with my dependence on anti depressants, but it’s also looking at everyone now mentalhealthmaxxing and looksmaxxing via pills and injections. It’s not a judgement, it’s just an observation and my personal experience with these things is that I have to be in a long term relationship with them for my PTSD and depression.”

The collaboration continues a relationship between the two acts that stretches back several years. In 2023, Tolokonnikova appeared on a reworked version of Avenged Sevenfold’s song “We Love You,” and the band later invited Pussy Riot to join them as an opening act on tour.

Pussy Riot have spent years in opposition to the Russian government and broader political establishment. Their activism and public protests previously resulted in arrests and imprisonment for some members, and the collective now operates in exile outside of Russia.