“We are the nation of tomorrow/We are the children who are not afraid to die,” the Winnipeg-born Cree Canadian artist iskwē declares on acākosīk, a mission statement that perfectly encapsulates her dramatic fusion of gothic alt-rock, traditional chants, and outspoken politics. acākosīk—Cree for “the stars”—may be a mini-album, but it’s loaded with epic gestures: The industrial, synth-heavy “Breaking Down” uses a dysfunctional personal relationship as a metaphor for Canada’s historic mistreatment of her people, while the fiery power ballad “Little Star” laments the victim-blaming media depiction of murdered Indigenous youth. And for the generational battle cry “The Unforgotten” (quoted above), iskwē unleashes some heavy artillery in the form of throat-singing experimentalist Tanya Tagaq, who helps steer this ascendant anthem toward a metallic eruption.