There’s no one in Canadian music right now quite like Anachnid; unique doesn’t begin to cover her talent.
Anachnid (aka Kiki Harper) is an Oji-Cree/Mi’kmaq interdisciplinary artist working out of Montreal, Quebec. Her music has been described as electro trap-pop storytelling, and even that isn’t enough adjectives. Her debut album with Musique nomade Records, Dreamweaver, earned a place on the 2019 Polaris long list and the title of Songwriter of the Year at the Indigenous Music Awards.
The album is at once beautiful, disconcerting, and transformative. It gracefully explores Indigenous politics in Canada, addiction, and the multiplicities of self identity, inspired by her totem animal and stage name inspiration. “The spider has eight legs, and Anachnid embodies just as many complex personalities: poisonous spirit, young woman in love, caring grandmother” (nikamowin.com).
She asserts her songwriting and performance talent with music rich in soundscape and double meanings. The album considers experiences of oppression, both as an Indigenous person and a woman, without being defined by those conversations. It effortlessly blends traditional motifs with contemporary elements. In an interview with Atwood Magazine, Anachnid described her reasoning: “electronic, for me, is the sound of the city. You know like a police car or a fire engine, they have sirens right? For me that’s the wolf siren of the city. Everything is a parallel universe to nature but in a more technological aspect.”
Song Recommendations: Windigo (6), Braids (9), & Sky Woman (10).
Listening Recommendations: On great headphones.
