Sometimes, a voice can be inside us screaming to be let out, yet with what outlet? Easily pent up as a form of frustration, many give up on ever letting this make it to the surface because they either cannot find what they are looking for or, worse, others have crushed their spirit.
Born in Surrey, England, and based in Berlin, Germany, Annika Henderson may have faced these challenges when she sought direction first as a music performer before writing as a political journalist. While all offered some sense of satisfaction, somewhere along the way, she realized there was more beneath the surface and began writing her music.
Singing for several bands and trying herself on the scene, in 2010, Henderson bravely took the plunge into releasing her debut album. Calling it Anika, the title would also become the stage name she adopted moving forward. A collection of songs produced by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, Anika (the album) was received quite well and was the launch pad for more creativity.
Leading Anika to branch off in different directions, she founded the band Exploded View, and together, they released their 2016 self-titled debut and 2018’s Obey. These are two compelling albums worth listening to, but it would not be until 2021 that Anika released another solo record, Change, which attracted positive acclaim. This leads us into 2025 when she returns with the album Abyss.
Anika’s third overall solo full-length album, Abyss, arrived on April 4, 2025, through Sacred Bones Records and solidifies that this artist is anything but average. As mentioned, someone who has been a political writer in the past, Anika is also a poet and musician who dabbled in photography. Additionally, the multi-faceted artist is bilingual, speaking English and German fluently. However, while all of this makes Anika talented, it is the mind she possesses that makes her unique.
Someone who dares to be different, Anika does not concern herself with current social trends but instead offers provocative commentary on the state of the world. Something that may not seem all that different than others who get on their social media soap box, Anika takes bold stands that are more introspective and confronts propaganda straight on. Deconstructing the ideas that have penetrated the psyche of many worldwide, Anika presents a refreshing take that dares us to think outside an echo chamber.
A poetic soul, Anika wears her thoughts openly throughout Abyss, which is apparent in the powerful context of the singles “Hearsay” and “Walk Away.” Two potent songs outside social norms in today’s world, meaning they do not follow the mass psychosis of groupthink, join them is “Out of the Shadows” with an unapologetic approach. Joined by the captivating listens of “Abyss,” “Into the Fire,” “One Way Ticket,” and “Oxygen,” this is an artistic and striking album.
With a true Punk mentality, as opposed to what some pass for the label nowadays, Anika puts herself in a class of other free-thinking Rock artists like the Sex Pistols’ John Lydon, The Smiths’ Morrissey, or The Doors’ Jim Morrison. Refreshing and bold, the songs that makeup Abyss are haunting, abstract, and, most of all, thought-provoking. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Anika’s Abyss 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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