Today’s song is “PANIC ATTACK” by Pussy Riot. The Russian group is made up of Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina.
“PANIC ATTACK” is the first-hand account of Nadya Tolokonnikova struggling with life overwhelmed by panic disorder. The song was born out of her own mental struggles from serving two years in a labor camp as well as the current pandemic. She says,
“After serving 2 years in a labor camp, I’m still struggling with mental health issues. Trauma, fear and insecurity never fully go away, causing depression episodes and deep anxiety. “PANIC ATTACK” was born as the result of me staring at the wall for 24 hours in the middle of the pandemic, feeling 100% helpless. I was trying to write something uplifting to encourage people to get through the tough times. But I was just failing and failing. Magically, at the second I allowed myself to be honest and write about despair I was experiencing, I wrote the track in like a half an hour.
Depression is a plague of the 21st century, and it tells me that there’s something broken in the way we treat each other. The video ‘PANIC ATTACK’ reflects on objectification of human beings, loneliness, disconnection from the environment that causes us to feel small and powerless. And it’s us who caused it with our own hands – that’s why in the end of the video I’m fighting with my own clone.”
The song was produced by GRAMMY-nominated Chris Greatti (Yungblud, Poppy) and Kudzu (ITSOKTOCRY). It high-energy pop beats are nicely juxtapositioned with dark lyrical verses. The song is an upbeat emotional ride.
The some is accompanied by a video that marries the virtual world found in video games with the magic of a music video using state-of-the-art volumetric capture. It takes the viewer on a journey as Nadya’s surroundings devolve from a colorful idyllic video game to toxic wasteland.
Listen below and for more information check out their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.