Squeeze

SASAMI's new album Squeeze is a theatrical epic that twists together industrial grit and country-pop heartbreak.

Sasami Ashworth's 2019 debut was a promising slice of indie-pop begging for a fringe to hide under.  Here, though, there's transformations left, right and centre.

Squeeze calls back to and often emulates the soundtrack of SASAMI’s youth as she navigates the nuances of adult relationships. The sound may be dated, but her writing and melodies are sharp enough to make it all her own.

Though the album’s drastic swings from crushing riffs to radio-friendly pop to ecstatic chaos and back again don’t always make for fluid transitions, Ashworth’s unbridled spirit of play and discovery makes Squeeze a thoroughly thrilling and cathartic comfort.

An album that is expansive enough to act as a tonic to, and vessel of, the displacement felt by communities like her own.

In melding her diverse musical interests, Sasami's aim is clear: she forces you to pay attention.

Made with the intention of helping her audience to access and process anger, Squeeze is a remarkable album from SASAMI, full of eruptive contrasts and nuances that, for all the fireworks, are always true to her artistic vision.

A mix of abrasion and delicacy inform Squeeze, thus demonstrating Ashworth’s incredible musical talents, which deserve considerably more widespread recognition. Despite each track standing incredibly strong on its own, it sometimes feels as though Ashworth is taking on more than the album can handle.

On her second LP, the Los Angeles musician swaps her debut’s shoegaze for more aggressive sounds—and creates her best songs yet.

Squeeze opts to bathe and contort in it with visceral theatricality.

Sasami Ashworth’s second solo album melds two distinctively 1990s sound worlds as it asks: Can a song ever make it all the way to another person?

In spite of the uniquely punk-y take on dream pop leaving a fair bit of room for improvement, Sasami’s second album stands tall as an exploration of new possibilities and hints at a bright, abrasive future for the artist.

Squeeze tears you down and gives you a hug at the same time, which is no doubt disorienting, but certainly as Ashworth intended.