IC3PEAK - Kiss Of Death

 #IC3PEAK #experimental rock #electronic rock #witch house #industrial rock #electro-metal #political #subversive #Russian #music video

You have followers in a society, the sheep, and you have those who stand up against the herd mentality and show their middle finger to oppression. One of those bands is the Russian electronic band IC3PEAK. They saw their VK page (the biggest media in Russia) banned because of our anti-war statements. Their concerts are also officially prohibited by the Russian government. Instead of remaining silent, they unleashed the video “Kiss Of Death” (the title track of their most recent album) which is “dedicated to the Russian police state which tries to censor us all but is doomed to fail.” The band is also collecting funds to support Ukrainian humanitarian aid.
IC3PEAK is the duo Anastasia Kreslina and Nikolay Kostilev. They formed the band in 2013 and released the English sung EP “Substances” the following year. Shortly after, they released the video for the song “Ether”. In 2017, IC3PEAK released their first album (in Russian), “Sladkaya zhizn” (“Sweet life”). The duo released another Russian-language album, “Skazka” (“Fairy Tale”), in 2018. The band’s third album in Russian was #Do Svidaniya” (“Goodbye”) and was released on April 24, 2020. By then they were already under political scrutiny, especially because of the video for the song “Smerti bolshe net” which was considered as an insult to law enforcement structures and to the Russian authorities. There were also accusations that the video would be promoting suicide, which, according to the authorities, could have an impact on the duo’s underage fans. What followed was targeted harassment, threats, and intimidation from the Russian security forces. Concert venues throughout Russia were told not to program them or cancel shows. The performance in Novosibirsk on 1 December 2018 became the peak of that confrontation. On that day, the members of IC3PEAK and the local concert organizers were detained while exiting the train at Novosibirsk Central Railway Station. The concert took place at an alternative venue.  From: https://www.side-line.com/russian-band-ic3peak-gets-banned-on-vk-for-anti-war-comments-their-reaction-an-anti-putin-video/

IC3PEAK - Fairytale

 #IC3PEAK #experimental rock #electronic rock #witch house #industrial rock #electro-metal #political #subversive #Russian #animated music video

IC3PEAK, a Russian experimental electronic duo, position themselves as an “audiovisual terror” project. Since their third studio record, 2017's Sladkaya Zhizn (Sweet Life), they have started singing almost exclusively in Russian. The vocalist, Nastya, explains: “There was a desire for dialogue with my own generation that happened, and in my native language; it erases distance”. This decision reflects rising nationalism in Russia since 2012 and runs parallel to anti-Putinism in Russian rap. In 2018, the band’s activity caught the eye of the authorities, and concerts were constantly disrupted by law enforcement, resulting in lingering paranoia and social anxiety for the band. IC3PEAK’s music references ongoing Russian socio-political issues, critiquing Putin’s eternal regime in “Death No More,” suppression of individual and democratic rights in “Marching,” and domestic violence in “Boo-Hoo.” All three songs are accompanied by grim videos that are immensely popular worldwide. Nastya draws on a wide range of vocal techniques, from whispers and chastushka-like recitations to yells in verses, while displaying Russian pevuchest’ (melodiousness) in bridges and choruses. Altogether these elements present a personal emotional outcry.
 
“I’m from a scary Russian fairytale!” shouts Nastya Krestlina from IC3PEAK (pronounced “I speak”) on their 2018 record Skazka (Fairytale). IC3PEAK are a Russian electronic duo from Moscow; they are one of a handful of Russian bands who are daring to comment on current socio-political issues in their home country.  IC3PEAK’s vocalist, Nastya, and producer, Nikolai (Kolya) Kostylev, have been collaborating since 2013. From the band’s inception, Nastya takes charge of writing all song texts and melodies, while Kolya produces accompanying beats and layers the multiple song components. The two collaborate closely, aiming to create a final product that equally presents their creative visions.

From: https://ummusicandpolitics.ii.lsa.umich.edu/articles/music-and-protest-demonstration/ic3peak-whispers-and-screams-po-russki-in-russian-of-cultural-downfalls-in-russia-today/

IC3PEAK - I’m Not Evil, I’m Sad

 #IC3PEAK #experimental rock #electronic rock #witch house #industrial rock #electro-metal #political #subversive #Russian

In the 2018 mini-documentary Let It All Burn, the Moscow duo IC3PEAK are about to play a show in the Russian city of Voronezh when health inspectors and police arrive to shut the venue down on suspicion of food poisoning. Although the alleged incident has taken place the day before the band’s arrival in town, the officers demand to speak to the band and their manager. This is the latest obstacle on a tour where every stop has been plagued by interference from government officials. As the club director is interrogated, the sound engineer and the duo’s manager sneak fans through a backdoor into the dimly lit room where IC3PEAK members Nastya Kreslina and Nikolay Kostylev launch into their song “Сказка” (“Fairytale”): “I come from a Russian horror fairy tale/It doesn’t matter where you come from,” Kreslina spits. “I do not play your games/Someday you will die.” At the end of their short set, a sizable crowd, most of whom didn’t even make it into the venue, lingers in the cold outside, singing along to their favorite IC3PEAK songs. Kreslina and Kostylev join them to sing the controversial hit “Смерти Больше Нет” (“Death No More”), which may have set off the government’s ire to begin with: “I fill my eyes with kerosene/Let it all burn, let it all burn/All of Russia is watching me/Let it all burn, let it all burn.” With their politically brazen lyrics about police repression and state hypocrisy, as well as a fierce, highly stylized goth maximalism, IC3PEAK is one of the most exciting bands to come out of Russia in a while - and Russia’s youth and officials both know it.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ic3peak-do-svidaniya-goodbye/