Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and all-around badass musical genius SASAMI made a big splash with her sophomore album Squeeze in 2022. She took her sound to a bold new level with fuzzy guitars and hard-rocking tunes, making the record feel like a lost classic from the golden era of grunge in the 1990s. The heavy sound seemed to serve as a fabulous platform for her dynamic voice and the powerful live shows suggested a new rock goddess had arrived.
SASAMI’s much anticipated third LP, Blood on the Silver Screen, has arrived, and while the sound is quite different, it’s another creative triumph. Sasami Ashworth is still taking chances by altering her sound in another bold new direction that ramps down the heavy guitars in exchange for intricate sonic landscapes that layer trippy synths with an array of danceable beats. Yet the LP still retains an impactful quality thanks to another batch of big melodic hooks, her impressively emotive voice, and a vibrant production with cinematic overtones. It turns out, however, that the shift in sonic direction involved some practical considerations in addition to creative choices.
“From touring Squeeze, I was touring with a metal band, and there’s a way you’re supposed to scream if you’re a professional metal screamer — and I really wasn’t doing that. I was just screaming like I was being murdered every night,” Ashworth explained to US Weekly. “That was affecting my voice, and it was making me a little bit nervous that I wouldn’t be protecting my instrument. And so that era really pushed me into an album of writing songs that were really meant to be sung and really focusing on songwriting as the craft for this album cycle.”
It’s an interesting commentary since a tune like “Skin a Rat” did have pretty abrasive vocals. Yet, on the other hand, a majestic song like “The Greatest” felt like it fit her voice just right, with the grunge guitar tone simply propelling her melodic vocals to a more powerful level. Any way you slice it, SASAMI is an artist who isn’t afraid to take chances.
Many outlets, including Ashworth herself, call Blood on the Silver Screen a pop album, which is relatively accurate compared to the mesmerizing hard rock of Squeeze. The fuzzy guitars are mostly gone in favor of a multi-dimensional synthpop sound. However, there’s still a rock element in the songwriting and the charismatic urgency of SASAMI’s spirited vocals. This, after all, is an artist who has majestic classic rock gems like Led Zeppelin‘s “Tangerine” and Jimi Hendrix‘s “Bold as Love” on her “SASAMI Sounds” playlist on Spotify.
Four singles released before the album’s release foreshadowed the shift in sound while letting fans know that SASAMI is still moving forward as a larger-than-life artist for modern times.
“Just Be Friends” is a prime case in point. The song has a sonic impact on par with the grunge tunes from Squeeze, thanks to the emotional vocals and melodic hooks. The arena rock-style bridge builds like a force of nature, then goes ambient, and then builds back with near-acapella vocals to really hit the feels.
“Slugger” has a more lush sound that still works in a similar fashion as SASAMI sings about how tough it feels to be in her 30s and “still getting burned”. No co-writers are needed here as she has plenty to say about the trials and tribulations of dating in the modern age, like “Whoever said it’s better to have loved and to lost than to not have loved at all, Should just shut up forever…”
Ashworth and her production team bring another sensational sonic flavor with rippling psychedelic synths over downtempo beats on “In Love With a Memory”, generating a neo-noir vibe with guest Clairo that feels like it could soundtrack a scene from a Bladerunner: Black Lotus anime episode. Alanis Morissette fans might hear some sonic resonance with her underrated 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement, and there’s a fuzzy octave guitar solo for extra impact.
“Honeycrash” hits the sweet spot between synth pop and guitar rock with big chords, infectious hooks, and musical fireworks that illustrate the emotional heartache of love on the rocks (as seen in the song’s colorful video.) This is also where the album’s title comes from, with SASAMI singing, “Honey, don’t count me out, Even when the heavens sour, Even in your darkest hour, Even when the heart is cracked, Honey, crash into me, Like a storm into the sea, Like blood on the silver screen, We can make it through all that.”
Blood on the Silver Screen isn’t one of those records that drops off after the first batch of singles, either. “I’ll Be Gone” features a swirl of synths and polyrhythms to create a compelling kinetic energy that somewhat recalls the tragically short-lived band School of Seven Bells, while “Love Makes You Do Crazy Things” mixes in guitar lines with the synths and pulsing beats for a high-energy banger.
“Possessed” has moodier synths and up-tempo beats that move in and out for more neo-noir vibes that again highlight SASAMI’s endearing voice. “Figure It Out” starts out sort of downtempo with exquisite vocals before big guitars return in the bridge section for a high-energy build that matches the urgent emotion of the song.
The album’s back half continues to deliver in a way that should put Blood on the Silver Screen into contention for year-end honors. “For the Weekend” is primed to be another hit with catchy hooks, surging guitars, and infectious vocal melodies that recall Alanis in her prime. “Nothing But a Sad Face On” provides a lo-fi chill interlude that tells a moodier side of the story, as SASAMI sings, “If hell is the only place to get lucky, then I will follow you down, For something so sweet, I’ve done crazier things.”
“Lose It All” shifts gears back into a bright, upbeat direction with a melodic piano lead that propels the song as ear candy with an anthemic flavor that sounds like another hit. SASAMI shines like an angel here with wisdom like, “Whenever I feel like I’m gonna get burned, Try to listen to the lessons I learned… Damn, if I do, but damn, if I don’t (Damn), I’ll regret it if I end up alone…”
“The Seed” closes the album with a mystical psychedelic vibe as acoustic guitar riffs lead to a sonic vortex with dynamic layers, including high-energy electric guitars. SASAMI relates more of the wisdom she’s learned the hard way on lyrics like, “If change is the river that flows on by, Then growth is the bridge that keeps us dry.” She sums it all up at the end when she sings, “Dark is the night when you’re losing track / Trust is the light that will bring us back.” It feels like a song that could fit in on the all-killer, no-filler alt-rock soundtrack from 1992’s Singles.
Blood on the Silver Screen sounds like a sonic masterpiece for modern times, with SASAMI’s ability to dazzle in varying formats while singing her heart out at a time when this insane world needs all the heart and soul it can get. “This album, for me, is about having deep, meaningful relationships within a new definition of what is good, what is right, and what is powerful,” Ashworth says in a press release. “We are still passionate beings.”
“I wanted to go all out with this album,” she continues. “I wanted to, in my tenderness and emotionality, have the bravery to undertake something as epic as making a pop record about love. I hope it makes people feel empowered and embodied, too. It’s important to not box yourself in.”
In an era with too many posers and pretenders, Blood on the Silver Screen shines because it feels so genuine and fully realized. SASAMI is like a shamanic medicine woman here, sharing tales of trials and visions to enable the tribe to explore those feelings in their own souls. Her mission for the record is thus accomplished, as these songs feel like they could help guide listeners through the ups and downs of their own romantic pitfalls in this crazy, mixed-up world.