SASAMI hits hard as she returns with the compelling and complex “Slugger,” the lead single off her upcoming third album, ‘Blood On the Silver Screen.’
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Stream: “Slugger” – SASAMI
I’m such a Cancer. I wish I had the answer, baby…
American musician Sasami Ashworth, better known mononymously as SASAMI, has struck again with her powerful ability to explore genres and themes in the captivating and profound single “Slugger.” This song marks a new and thrilling beginning for the artist as the lead single of her third album, Blood On the Silver Screen, set to be released in March of 2025.
I’m such a Cancer
I wish I had the answer, baby
I’m quite a mess now
It takes me all day to get dressed now
You think ’cause you’re older
That you’re gonna be better at being colder
But life takes a different turn, and
Thirty years old,
and you’re still getting burned
Whoever said it’s better
to have loved and to lost
Than to not have loved at all
Should just shut up forever ’cause
“Slugger” merges instruments like drums, electric and bass guitars; genres like indie rock, electronic, and dream pop; and emotions like fear, relief, and even frustration. All become an exploration of the experience of falling in love and reflecting on oneself as doing so.
This song doesn’t only have a catchy rhythm, but it builds beat and chords as more thoughts and emotions are revealed by the “Turned Out I Was Everyone” singer. Interestingly, the first line of “Slugger” is the first hard blow, for she recognizes her identity and, more specifically, the strength in her emotions as she sings “I’m such a Cancer,” and she keeps on going in this revelation of feelings and her state of mind as she’s directing herself to her lover.
In the recent past, SASAMI has not only talked about the assortment of feelings and thoughts in her songs, but also her instrumental process.
“No matter how good you are at your instrument,” she explained in an interview with writer Rob Hakimian, “you’re really humbled to the arrangement of the song. The same thing with mixing, you can’t be too precious about the parts, it’s really about how they fit into the betterment of the whole song. So I really like the mixing process, but it’s scary because it’s the last thing that you do before the song’s done. It’s easy to be nervous about finishing a mix because it doesn’t matter how good that guitar tone is if it’s in the same frequency as the vocal part then they cancel each other out, so the drama of a part can be met by another part overtaking it. So it can be super nerve-wracking and it’s hard to know when a song is done.”
My, my, my, my, my whole life,
I’ve been doing fine
And now I’m cry-cry-crying
likе Dolly from 9 to 5
Asking myself why
I’m putting my heart on the linе
It feels like dy-dy-dying
whenever you’re not here by my side
Diving deeper into the themes, why do they make this song special? Well, this song is introspective while being energetic and relieving. The depth in the lyrics and the indie genre landscape it demonstrates captures the listener. And that is just what we need to realize this song reflects vulnerability, personal growth, fear on entering or being in a relationship, and self-reflection, which we can relate to.
“Asking myself why I’m putting my heart on the line” is the sentence that tells us enough: SASAMI is reflecting on her thoughts on falling in love knowing that it means a risk to her heart and feelings. She is afraid but she’s already taking that step. Who hasn’t, anyway? That is what makes this song worth listening, the bonding that can occur between the song and the listener.
Furthermore, there are some honorable mentions in this song. Dolly Parton, singer known for her decades-long career, is brought up in the chorus, while Steve Lacy’s “Gemini Rights” is part of the second verse, as well as Polish composer, Chopin, leading us to imagine a further sense of drama in the song.
I’m always running,
so I probably should’ve seen it coming
Now that we’re in slow motion
Whiplash, like a car crash in the ocean
Back to those late-night reveries
Nocturnal like Chopin melodies
Making out to Steve Lacy “Gemini Rights”
I could kiss you till I die
I was just looking for a late-night lover
Now you got me choked up,
calling me slugger
Never f*ing call me slugger
“I wanted to be more playful and communicate more with pop culture,” SASAMI shared upon her song’s release. “When I listen to music, I think about how I feel, how I want to feel, how I want to move to it. And that’s what’s special about music—how it connects to culture, how it connects to different styles of music, how it connects to the timbre of the voice of the person singing it.”
“Slugger” is the beginning of a bold new chapter in SASAMI’s songwriting and singing career, and it is part of the introduction hinting at what this next phase of her artistry is about.
In SASAMI’s own words, she has explained that “this album is all about learning and respecting the craft of pop songwriting, about relenting to illogical passion, obsession, and guiltless pleasure. It’s about leaning into the chaos of romance and sweeping devotion—romanticism to the point of self-destruction.” The new album will even contain a song featuring Clairo, called “In Love With a Memory.”
My, my, my, my, my whole life,
I’ve been doing fine
And now I’m cry-cry-crying
like Dolly from 9 to 5
Asking myself why
I’m putting my heart on the line
It feels like dy-dy-dying
whenever you’re not here by my side
In short, SASAMI has struck again with a piece raw and delicate that pours out the sentiment of a lover in fear of what will happen, of who they will become as they fall deeper and deeper for their partner. SASAMI has shown herself as vulnerable and reflective, but most of all, musically brilliant. Next time you find yourself in a similar situation, make sure to know there is a song out there that empathizes with the overwhelming and fearful feelings a lover undergoes.
How come the things that are worth the most
Seem to be the things that hurt the most?
I wish that no one could see me
I wish that someone else could be me
Just when I thought I had my shit together
You made me realize it could be better
Sometimes I wish I could just shut up forever ’cause
[Breakdown]
My, my, my, my, my whole life,
I’ve been doing fine
And now I’m cry-cry-crying
like Dolly from 9 to 5
Asking myself why
I’m putting my heart on the line
It feels like dy-dy-dying
whenever you’re not here by my side
— —
:: stream/purchase Blood On the Silver Screen here ::
:: stream/purchase Slugger here ::
:: connect with SASAMI here ::
— —
Stream: “Slugger” – SASAMI
— — — —
Connect to SASAMI on
Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© Andrew Thomas Huang
© Andrew Thomas Huang
:: Today’s Song(s) ::
follow our daily playlist on Spotify
:: Stream SASAMI ::
