Radar: Anika

I recently spoke with Berlin based artist Annika Henderson about her wonderful new album Abyss, her early years in Bristol, a little bit about Tricky and her process.    From the Press Release: British-born, Berlin-based musician Annika Henderson, better known as Anika, has created her new, third album Abyss out of the frustration, anger, and confusion she feels from existing in our contemporary world. Notably heavier than her previous releases, the 10-track Abyss feels raw, urgent, and fuelled by strong emotions.   “There’s so much going on in the world, and you have to sit there and watch it through a screen that you’ve allowed into your home, like a vampire who had been preying at your door, then immediately digest it, have an opinion, and publicly comment on it,” Anika says. “The state of the world just feels like an abyss right now.” With this new album, she wants to create a place where people can feel safe to be themselves, and to unite in their diversity. “Abyss is like a call to action,” she says. “To come and figure it out together.”   Abyss was recorded live to tape at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin (where the likes of Depeche Mode and David Bowie also recorded) in just a few days. Recording live and with minimal overdubs was an important decision, Anika stresses, in order to capture the raw immediacy of the album. As before, she wrote the songs herself, before fleshing them out with Martin Thulin of Exploded View, and then assembled a live band to join the pair in the studio – comprising of Andrea Belfi on drums, Tomas Nochteff on bass (Mueran Humanos) and Lawrence Goodwin (The Pleasure Majenta) on guitar, with studio engineering done by Nanni Johansson and Frida Claeson Johansson. “I always work with people I respect and admire,” Anika says. “It’s very genuine in that way.”   You can find Anika’s Abyss on all streaming platforms and on vinyl via Sacred Bones and at anika-music.com where you can also find all her live dates this year across Europe and later in the year in the US.   Dylan Hundley is an artist & performer. She is the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis & creator of all things at Darling Black. She co-curates & hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.