Annika Zee’s Emerald Spy is a Dreamlike Resistance Against a Digital Dystopia
- Danielle Holian
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Genre(s): Pop, 90’s Pop, Electronic, Chill Out
Similar artists: Bjork, Joni Mitchell, Mazzy Star
Release date: September 12, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Danielle Holian, Decent Music PR
Annika Zee, the Toronto-born multimedia artist and genre-defying musician, returns with her most conceptually daring project to date: Emerald Spy, a vivid and emotionally resonant album.
Emerald Spy weaves together diverse sounds and global perspectives into a rich sonic tapestry that challenges dominant narratives around technology, race, and identity. A fusion of 90s pop nostalgia, ambient electronica, and abstract lyrical storytelling, the album explores the tension between personal fragmentation and collective empowerment in the digital age.
Anchored in a commitment to reimagining community and collaboration, Emerald Spy defies conventional pop frameworks. It speaks to a future unbound by extractive technologies and white supremacist AI models, offering instead a vision rooted in memory, resistance, and radical tenderness.
“This album connects people across socio-economic and cultural boundaries,” says Zee. “It’s about challenging imposed systems while also celebrating the beauty of imagination, resilience, and multiplicity.”
TRACKLIST:
Hell No - A fierce rejection of dystopian futures and the systems enabling them.Can't Hear You - A disarming critique of war, fame culture, and social media saturation.
Wondering - A dreamy, optimistic vision for a different kind of future.
I'm Dead - Explores identity, stereotyping, and toxic love with biting clarity.
Can You - A surreal, improvisational track produced with Will Smith at Jamie xx’s Octave Studio in London. Examines power dynamics in relationships and systems through a mixed-race lens.
Puppet - Inspired by Malcolm X, this track rejects systemic oppression with unflinching resolve.As They Call - A haunting meditation on colonial legacy and the necessity of reparations.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Annika Zee is a boundary-pushing multimedia artist and musician from Toronto, Canada. A graduate of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute and currently studying printmaking and publications at OCAD University, Zee’s work spans music, design, and visual media. Her signature sound blends experimental production with lush songwriting, drawing inspiration from both analogue textures and futuristic soundscapes. Zee’s work has been featured in i-D Magazine, The Fader, Wonderland, and more. She has composed music for Broad City (Comedy Central), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, American Eagle, and Anna Sui.