Sasami makes meditative heavy metal

We were going to see Sasami live at the Roundhouse in London in 2022, opening for Mitsuki on her Laurel Hell tour. My partner and I rushed to the venue because we were an hour late for the show, but by the time we arrived, Sasami had left the stage. We hadn’t checked in advance who was opening for us, so we didn’t know of Sasami’s presence at the time. However, after returning home, mentally and physically transformed by Mitsuki’s raw vulnerability, we decided to listen to Sasami’s music to see what we had missed. From the moment we heard her sing, we knew missing her performance would be one of our biggest regrets.

Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little. But the first time you hear Sasami’s music, you’re hooked. This genre-bending musician fuses ballads, heavy metal, and industrial sounds to create music that’s full of emotion. Although Sasami’s music mostly falls into the heavy metal category, her vocals are almost always soft.Even when her music is intense and demanding, she sticks to it. Her first solo song, “Callous,” released in 2018, is a good example. She sings about changing herself for a lover, “I took you in, I made myself small / Even though I’m all smiles / I look back and see myself falling” – Her voice is little more than a whisper, and “Callous” is filled with a quiet rage that makes you wonder why she never voices it out loud, but the contrast creates an energetic tension that leaves you wanting more. Rolling Stone As explained in a 2022 interview, they make heavy metal for gentle souls.

After releasing “Callous” on SoundCloud, Sasami signed with Domino Recording Company. Her next single, “Not the Time,” catapulted her into the spotlight. of Fader She was dubbed “Rock’s Next Big Thing.” Since then, Sasami has released two critically acclaimed albums. Chicken fillet (2019) and squeeze (2022), where she toured with influential experimental and alternative rock musicians such as Soccer Mommy, Snailmail, HAIM, Yule, and Mitski.

Her latest single, “Honey Crush,” is a hit for musicians. squeezeThe beat is big and aggressive, while her vocals are calm and steady, which is typical of Sasami. “Honeycrash” was an attempt to write a song “with all the drama of a 19th century classical opera, but with the patience and understanding of someone undergoing therapy in 2024,” she explained in a statement following the single’s release.

Following the release of “Honeycrash,” we spoke to the 33-year-old musician about her music, growing up in a Christian cult, and her obsession with the mystical whispers of the fungal network.

How would you describe your music?

Sasaki: I would describe my music as the soundtrack to a shiny, golden deer being chased by a mountain lion through a lush, dewy forest. The camera zooms in on the deer’s face in slow motion, revealing that despite facing certain death, the deer is concerned that its crush isn’t returning its texts.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

Sasaki: My music was described in X as “music for people who love System of a Down and Carly Rae Jepsen.”

What is your earliest memory related to music?

Sasaki: I grew up in a cult, so many of my earliest musical memories are of singing religiously edited versions of popular songs in church, like this edit of The Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week.”

“Lord, I love you every day /
You are always in my heart.
Lord, there is only one thing I can say.
I always love you.
Hug me, love me, hug me, love me.
Lord, there is nothing but love /
Eight days a week.”

And a lot of dad rock, but also Korean folk music.

What’s your zodiac sign and are you a typical person for it?

Sasaki: I like that Cancer. I’m a terrible water baby. Even if I’m into it, I can’t write music that isn’t full of emotion.

What’s your weirdest internet obsession?

Sasaki: TikToks/reels of elaborate one-pot rice cooker meals.

What conspiracy theories are you into?

Sasaki: Our gut bacteria have trained us to be the perfect little environment for us and our communities to thrive in. All that PR about the gut microbiome and probiotics these days? It’s just great marketing for them.

What is your way of expressing love?

Sasaki: Sex.

What is your ghost costume?

Sasaki: What outfit will I be frozen in forever, like Headless Nick from Harry Potter? Perhaps one of the Rodarte dresses I’m wearing on tour right now.

If you could create a new micro-genre of music, what would you name it and what would it sound like?

Sasaki: The quiet hum of space is sidechained to a pulsating bass synth beneath the twinkling sounds of stars twinkling in an echo chamber deep within the galaxy, resulting in what could be described as whooshing and plinky pop.

What music are you listening to right now?

Sasaki: the mysterious whispers of fungal networks beneath our feet and in the fibres of plants;

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Sasaki: I am free from guilt. I hope I am…

Is there a particular music scene or decade you wish you were a part of?

Sasaki: A million years ago, when the first multinucleated mass of protoplasm in Calomyxa (my favorite slime mold) first formed.

What’s your nightmare brand rotation lineup?

Sasaki: My best friends Lætita, Mitski and Patti Harrison from Vagabon. We’re always on tour and in different cities, but I wish we could be together more.

“Honeycrash” is available now from Domino