ANOHNI’s “Paradise” Captures Our Political Climate With Aplomb

The question of music's inherent political qualities is one we'll be asking ourselves more and more as we continue under the new presidential administration. Some artists steer clear of overtly political songs—though creating music as a means of escape is arguably political in essence—while others find ways to imbue social and political commentary through explicitly charged pieces of music. ANOHNI falls into the latter category. "Drone Bomb Me," off her triumphant debut album, last year's Hopelessness, mixes wartime violence with a love and loss story. "Paradise," ANOHNI's newest song, captures the out-of-body experience many of us are feeling right now.

"I'm here, not here," she sings. "As a point of Consciousness." Dystopian coldness and the uncomfortable comfort that comes from a life ruled by rules plays out through the song. In her artist statement, ANOHNI calls out the history of men oppressing women for their own gain and how "ruthless wealth" has given way to "the unprecedented global crisis we are now facing." She calls on all women to intervene with their "with their innate knowledge of interdependency, deep listening, empathy, and self-sacrifice" to help course-correct the path we've elected to travel down.

Expect more acute social commentary when ANOHNI drops her Paradise EP, the companion to Hopelessness, on March 17, 2017.