nika nika (aka Anika Pyle) | via anikapyle.bandcamp.com

Dreamy pop-punk artist Anika Pyle of the band Katie Ellen recently released a new solo song, “On Self Respect.” Posted to Bandcamp under the name nika nika, the lo-fi acoustic track is doleful, Pyle’s voice wavering sweetly. She sings like a tightrope walker, floating and full of lightness, but unfailingly sure-footed. The song is a mournfully poignant note on self-forgiveness, a reminder to be kind to oneself despite the  gnawing teeth of insecurity and doubt. It echoes the millennial age message of self-care and wellness meant to combat a generation with plunging self-worth. Anika speaks on letting go of plaguing anxieties to embrace oneself. Her poetic songwriting is minimal and bare, and she attributes Joan Didion as inspiration for her song.

This Saturday, June 2, Pyle is playing a benefit show called Punk Goes Classical at St. Vitus in Brooklyn, that will feature performances by Pyle, Stay Inside and Good Looking Friends, all accompanied by musicians from the Noel Pointer Foundation String Players. NPF is a nonprofit that develops music education programs for disadvantaged communities in New York City. 

Listen to “On Self Respect” on Anika’s Bandcamp below, and get details on Punk Goes Classical via Pyle’s Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjQd1MKFugN/?taken-by=anikasneaka