The new album from Sasami may be a surprise for those who fell for her 2019 self-titled debut, an album that flitted between different indie-rock stylings while she pored over personal, dark moments.
‘Squeeze’ starts with the unnerving, childlike chant of “there are many ways to skin a rat” before barrelling into an opening salvo of full throttle nu-metal. It turns out that Sasami has been looking to the heavier realms of rock for influence, and in turn it sees her throwing off her mask in order to project her feelings in the most direct way possible.
This is an album that, on the surface, seems extremely erratic. When we’re not listening to the machinations of heavy metal, we’re transported into dream-pop and even some psychedelic folk.
It could easily become jarring but there’s a strong thread throughout of heartbreak, anger, resentment and all other facets that appear on the bleaker side of love.
At some points it feels as though there is a burst of flame that appears with every snap of Sasami’s vocals, as she not only embraces metal iconography but distorts it into her own image, away from its go-to straight white male mode.
‘Squeeze’ is an album that accepts rage as something that cannot be bottled up. It allows for you to feel and project anger, it wants you to feel catharsis from screaming in the most unfiltered way possible.
The closing track Not A Love Song feels like a complete flip from the beginning, a beautifully arranged track with string sections that cascade with relief. It’s a moment that feels genuinely profound, as if the rest of the journey and all the pain was worth it. Despite all its contradictions, ‘Squeeze’ is a wonderfully satisfying adventure through love, loss and longing.
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