Anika

Anika shares new single/video "Oxygen" taken from her new album 'Abyss' out this week via Sacred Bones.

UK/EU tour dates announced.

Anika, the British-born, Berlin-based musician Annika Henderson, releases “Oxygen,” the final single/video, from her new album, Abyss, out Friday on Sacred Bones. 

Anika will embark on a full European tour this spring, which includes shows in London, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Belfast, Dublin and Brighton.

Following the 90s alt-rock-tinged “Walk Away,” “Oxygen” gasps for air as we experience increased limits imposed on our bodies, be it reproductive freedoms or restrictions on trans rights.

In Anika’s words, 

“Oxygen” “is about feeling trapped in your own body, in your own narrative, in your own society, within the norms and expected behaviours of this claustrophobic socially constructed world.

It wants to break out of this cage, it wants to breathe, it wants to be in tune with its true self, its true feelings, sensations and desires - without restriction.” 

Sonically, the track was 

“inspired by Breeders and Pixies, the way it creeps in slowly and then crashes with this weird chorus/part that only comes in once,” 

Anika explains.

“I didn’t want to write things too rigidly, or by the book, more let them flow as they wished.” 

The accompanying video was directed by Laura Martinova.

Pulsing with a heavy guitar and rhythm section, Abyss is notably heavier than Anika’s previous releases. Born out of the frustration, anger, and confusion she feels from existing in our contemporary world, the album is raw, urgent, and fueled by strong emotions.

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.

Photo by Nastya Platinova

EU & UK Tour Dates: 

Sun. Apr. 20 - Berlin, DE @ Volksbühne

Thu. Apr. 24 - Cologne, DE @ C/O Pop

Fri. Apr. 25 - Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix

Sun. Apr. 27 - Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique

Mon. Apr. 28 - London, UK @ Omeara

Tue. Apr. 29 - Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew

Wed. Apr. 30 - Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room)

Thu. May 1 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

Fri. May 2 - Belfast, UK @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival

Sat. May 3 - Dublin, IE @ Whelans

Mon. May 5 - Brighton, UK @ DUST

Tue. May 6 - Paris, FR @ Gonzai Night @ Petit Bain

Wed. May 7 - Strasbourg, FR @ La Grenze

Thu. May 8 - Düdingen, CH @ Bad Bonn

Fri. May 9 - Zürich, CH @ Bogen F

Sat. May 10 - Frankfurt, DE @ Mousonturm

Thu. Aug 7 - Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel Sommerfest

Fri. Aug 8 - Rees-Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival

Sat. Aug 9 - Fahrenwalde, DE @ Detect Classic Festival, Schloss Bröllin

Sun. Aug 31 - Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival

U.S. & Canada Tour Dates

Thu. Sept. 18 - San Diego, CA @ Whistle Stop *

Fri.  Sept. 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex *

Sat. Sept. 20 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop *

Mon. Sept. 22 - Portland, OR @ Holocene *

Tue.  Sept. 23 - Seattle, WA @ Vera Project *

Wed.  Sept. 24 - Vancouver, BC @ Pearl *

Sat.  Sept. 27 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle #

Sun. Sept. 28 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House #

Mon. Sept. 29 - Toronto, ON @ Dance Cave #

Tue. Sept. 30 - Montreal, QC @ Sala Rossa #

Wed. Oct. 1 - Boston, MA @ Sonia #

Thu. Oct. 2 - New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge #

Fri. Oct. 3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie #

Sun. Oct. 5 - Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong #

Mon. Oct. 6 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506

Wed. Oct. 8 - Atlanta, GA @ The EARL

Thu. Oct. 9 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa

Fri. Oct 10 - Memphis, TN @ B-Side

Sat. Oct. 11 - Dallas, TX @ Rubber Gloves

Sun. Oct. 12 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom

* with Lauren Early

# with Avishag Cohen

Pre-order album here