Anika has released lead single “Hearsay” ahead of her upcoming album, Abyss. The track is dark and driving, there’s a bit of mystery and anger, a level of newfound energy. As the album’s opening track, “Hearsay” sets the mood for the rest of the LP, a collection of songs expected to be more emotionally raw than Anika’s previous releases. With Abyss, Anika challenged herself to break free from holding back genuine emotions, despite how uncomfortable or unnatural it made her feel: “It’s like I’m doing all the things that I never allowed myself to do,” she says. Anika hopes this pure emotion will position the listener to fully immerse themselves in the album, seeing themselves in the songs. “There needs to be room for people to put themselves in this album, and put their own narratives on it,” she says. “This is a space for you.”
“Hearsay” critiques the media’s ability to manipulate the public and highlights how some exploit this power for personal gain. Anika shares, “This song is about media moguls – about the power of the media, whether social, tv or beyond – we are as much under its spell as we ever were and some nasties are exploiting it for their own gains. Parasites feeding off the blood of the public – PJ Harvey inspired for sure.”
“Hearsay” is released ahead of Anika’s upcoming 2025 album titled Abyss, which will be out April 4th via Sacred Bones. Pre-save and pre-order the new album here.
The accompanying music video was created by directress and photographer Laura Martinova, who explains how the video is “inspired by vampire aesthetics” and seeks to connect with the grungy essence of Abyss. Through the use of contemporary dancers and raw camera movement, they met the goal of creating a “dark yet dynamic and surprising video,” while also nodding to an ethereal realm.
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