SASAMI shares new single “Call Me Home” – new album ‘Squeeze’ out Feb 25th
Shares new single
“Call Me Home”
New album Squeeze out Feb 25th
Photo Credit: Angela Ricciardi
“For a song just over two-and-a-half minutes, ‘Skin a Rat’ lands a whole bunch of different blows, each harder and more unexpected than the last. And, like all good rock & roll bruisings, the moment it’s over, you’re ready to spin it back for more.” Rolling Stone“A collection of tracks that sound like she’s digging her nails into the walls of a black hole in an attempt to escape, her mood alternating between feverish determination and clear-eyed hope.” Pitchfork“Sasami forces you to pay attention” Uncut 8/10“SASAMI’s new sound may be a shock to some, but those who’ve been paying attention in the off time since her 2019, self-titled debut will be less perplexed by the progression.” The FADER“An unrelenting blast of bracing sonics” Clash“A taunting, pummeling blast of noxious noise. It’s a fearsome re-introduction to SASAMI, one that’s less focused on pleasing and more interested in provocation.” Stereogum“Ashworth appears as Nure-onna on the album cover. Just as the mythic deity is said to be capable of both dignified femininity and powerful brutality, Squeeze blends the airy indie sound of Ashworth’s first album with heavy rock.” Paste“An electrifying rock opera.” Nylon“Skin A Rat leaves a trail of destruction in its wake and doesn’t stop to blink an eye along the way. It’s breathtaking stuff.” Guitar World
SASAMI shares a visualizer for “Call Me Home,” the latest single from her anticipated new album, Squeeze, out February 25th via Domino.
Of the track, SASAMI says “‘Call Me Home’ is dedicated to anyone who has blown up their life just to remember what it’s like to feel something. It’s about the darkness of feeling nothing and the creeping ache of apathy that can swallow you whole if you let it. It’s about skipping town, driving all night and knowing you’ll always have a home to come back to.” SASAMI is hitting the road later this spring on a headline tour that also includes support for Haim in the US and Mitski in EU.
SASAMI, who was recently named an Artist You Need To Know by Rolling Stone, was also selected by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner for Variety’s ‘Up Next’ series, where she was asked to pick the artist she believes is going to be the next big thing, saying “what SASAMI is doing musically is that perfect blend of music that can be really heavy and hard and aggressive but is also melodic and enjoyable and catchy.”
Listen to previously released singles“Say It”, “The Greatest”, “Skin A Rat” & “Sorry Entertainer”
On Squeeze, SASAMI explores her wide spectrum of moods—from raging at systemic violence to wrestling for control in her personal relationships. Throughout, the singer-songwriter and producer surveys the raw aggression of nu-metal, tender plainspokenness of country-pop and folk rock, and dramatic romanticism of classical music. Squeeze hammers home a sentiment of “anti-toxic positivity” and showcases SASAMI’s vicious honesty and brutally uncompromising vision, partially inspired by the Japanese yōkai folk spirit called Nure-onna (translation: wet woman), a vampiric deity that has the head of a woman and the body of a snake. Based in Los Angeles, SASAMI is a descendent of the Zainichi people on her mother’s side, a diaspora of ethnic Koreans who lived in Japan during Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Though some Zainichi moved voluntarily and others were forcibly kidnapped, these people and their progeny continue to experience systemic discrimination and oppression in Japan to this day.
While conducting a deep dive into her family’s mixed Korean and Japanese history and culture, SASAMI stumbled upon stories of Nure-onna and was immediately drawn to the water creature’s multiplicitous nature. According to legend, the deity is feminine and noble, yet powerful and vicious enough to brutally destroy victims with her blood sucking tongue. The fluidity of the Nure-onna can be felt in how Squeeze naturally flows through musical influences—from System of a Down to Sheryl Crow and Fleetwood Mac, to even Bach and Mahler. A classically-trained composer, SASAMI constructed the LP in the form of an opera or orchestral work that has different “movements” that take the listener on an emotional journey. Compared to the introspective indie rock of SASAMI’s 2019 self-titled debut album, Squeeze is a full-throttled expansion.
The dark, fantastical elements of the Nure-onna legend feeds into SASAMI’s use of heavy rock elements throughout Squeeze. She hopes that listeners will identify with this new sinister, intense sound and use it as a soundtrack for processing their “anger, frustration, desperation, and more violent, aggressive emotions.” Her ultimate desire is for marginalized folks, including femmes, BIPOC, and queer people, to listen to Squeeze and find catharsis from the oppression and violence that they experience. In reclamatory fashion, SASAMI assumes the form of Nure-onna on the record’s Japanese horror film-inspired cover art, designed by Andrew Thomas Huang (Björk, FKA twigs) and Rin Kim. She chose to pair this Japanese folklore-referencing image with Squeeze written in Korean calligraphy by Myung-Ja Ashworth, SASAMI’s mom, as another act of Zainichi empowerment.
On the back, the title is written in Japanese script. Squeeze was produced by SASAMI, with a handful of the tracks co-produced by Ty Segall. Other notable contributors include: Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, King Tuff’s Kyle Thomas, Christian Lee Hutson, Barishi, Moaning’s Pascal Stevenson, Jay Bellerose and No Home. Squeeze is available to pre-order on Dom Mart-exclusive translucent red vinyl with gatefold embossed sleeve, standard vinyl, CD and digitally.
UK & European tour dates
21st April – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory *
22nd April – Leeds, UK @ University Union Refectory *
23rd April – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom *
25th April – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street *
26th April – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy *
28th April – London, UK @ The Roundhouse *
29th April – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton *
30th April – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique Festival *
2nd May – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix *
3rd May – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia *
4th May – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
6th May – Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten *
7th May – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks *
9th May – Berlin, DE @ Metropol *
10th May – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega *
11th May – Stockholm, SE @ Fallan
12th May – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene *
14th May – Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik *
15th May – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria *
17th May – Vienna, AT @ WUK *
18th May – Prague, CZ @ Archa Theatre *
19th May – Munich, DE @ Strom * * w/ Mitski
SASAMI Online
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