In the year since Masha Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova were released from prison, the members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot have remained as outspoken and confrontational as they were at their outset. While Pussy Riot has continued to protest events in its native Russia, today the band has released its first song and video in English. The song is in support of Eric Garner, the man who was choked to death by a New York City police officer, and whose chilling final words,“I Can’t Breathe,” were immortalized in a video of the incident.
The song was produced by Pussy Riot along with Russian acts The Jack Wood and Scofferlane, and features members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Miike Snow, and the all-but-retired Richard Hell. In an interview with Pitchfork, Hell explains that he thought, “somebody was gaming me,” when a publicist contacted him about the project. Culminating in a late-night recording session at Hell’s apartment, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova convinced him to recite Garner’s final words for the song’s close. “It felt weird to speak the words of a black man killed by the police, when I’m this privileged white guy,” said Hell, before continuing that he trusted Pussy Riot’s vision, “It’s like being an actor; you trust the director.”
The video for “I Can’t Breathe” proves just as powerful as the song, as Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, dressed in Russian police uniforms, are buried alive in a shallow grave. As the video closes, a lone cigarette is seen burning in the dirt. It’s a reference to the fact that the ultimately fatal confrontation was about Garner selling loose cigarettes on the street, proving that Pussy Riot’s foray into American politics goes beyond an upcoming guest spot on House Of Cards.