Originally from Toronto, Annika Zee is a New York-based musician who takes a holistic approach to her work: songwriting, production, concepts and visuals, all of it. After 2016’s “Assembly,” there was a bit of a gap in releases. But now Zee is getting close to unveiling her debut album, Factory Pageant. Zee describes the album as taking place in a “future universe,” defined by “never-ending self design, the new modern labor.”

Zee is introducing Factory Pageant by way of lead single “Lydia.” Here’s what she had to say about the track:

“Lydia” is a feminine spirit strangled away behind a lifetime of surface individualism and collecting material objects. She paints a mask of herself to match up to an ideal online avatar, but outside appearances do not develop or dictate the soul.

Zee’s songwriting often plays with an aesthetic contrast between the organic and synthetic, and you can hear the tension she describes in the character of “Lydia” play out across the track. The song manages to feel glassy and smoky at the same time, as if a sinuous late-night burner seen through a digital refraction. Zee’s soulful singing leads the way, but later on “Lydia” is punctured by small flare-ups of distorted guitar and saxophone. It’s a great example of a young artist already adept at creating a specific atmosphere, and you can check it out below.

Factory Pageant will be out later this year.