Dreamy. Sexy. Mysterious. Alluring. Distant. Intimate. Psychedelic. Stylish. All of those adjectives could sum up Anika‘s fine new album, Change. Or they could not. Those could all be projections one puts upon the record as it shape-shifts across its span.
The opening bass and beats of “Finger Pies” sets you off on a train across Western Europe late at night and has you noticing a beautiful person across the dining car that may be a spy, murderess, hitman, painter, or tourist looking for adventure. “My intention is my intention,” Anika sings. We don’t need to know. She’s keeping that secret for now, which only makes her more intriguing.
“Critical” is a tale of danger, both of love and of delusion, told with processed dance beats. “I always give my man the last word. I always give him what he deserves, but don’t forget that little twist of cyanide in his little gift,” she sings as futuristic synths build around her like a digital cloak. The album’s title track is possibly the most uplifting song of the year. Anika encourages us to move away from illusions and comfortable patterns of behavior in order to conquer fear and embrace one another. “We could do well to listen sometimes, and not just shout around things we know nothing about. But I think we have it all inside. I think we can learn from each other. I think we can change.” It’s a great anthem for 2021 and beyond.
Anika continues that call to action on the somewhat industrial “Naysayer” with lyrics like “Youngblood, I’m calling on you. Stand, standing tall and take what’s yours. Time, time to run the show.” “Sand Witches” is downright creepy with its warped bass and Anika’s lyrics about rivers running red with blood in England – a country she barely recognizes anymore. “Never Coming Back” is a synthwave ode to things that have slipped away from us without us even noticing (“I saw the signs. I chose to ignore them. I saw all the warnings. I saw them all.”).
“Rights” is a call to women everyone to reclaim their power (“Tall, small, tiny, full and feel your power!”). “Freedom” has Anika expressing her power underneath a Terminator film score-like synth sizzle. One can’t help but think the lyrics of “I’m not being silenced by anyone…I’m not being silenced by my learned mutism…I’m not being silenced, least by you.” reflect on something that happened over the last decade. Changes is, after all, Anika’s first solo record in eleven years. The closing track, “Wait for Something,” is a mostly acoustic heartbreaker with Anika telling a tale of how she waited and waited “for something to come…for something to break through,” but realizing that holding onto the past only drags you to death.
Anika had a lot on her mind from the last decade, and she let it all out on Changes. She has spoken about how all the lyrics of the album were written on the spot without a filter or second thoughts. There is optimism and sorrow, but few pangs of regret. We could all do well to follow her example and let go of things dragging us down into a place we think is comfortable but is actually a tomb.
Keep your mind open.
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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]
