Singer/songwriter and producer Sasami Ashworth, aka SASAMI, has announced the follow-up to her self-titled 2019 album: Squeeze is out Feb. 25, 2022, on Domino, the videos for its first two tracks, “The Greatest” and “Skin a Rat,” are out now, and all indications are Ashworth has expanded her sound considerably on her second record. Ty Segall co-produced multiple tracks, while additional collaborators include Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, King Tuff’s Kyle Thomas, Vagabon’s Laetitia Tamko, Christian Lee Hutson, Barishi, Moaning’s Pascal Stevenson, Jay Bellerose and No Home.
Press materials cite “anti-toxic positivity” as the core sentiment of Squeeze, which was “partially inspired by the Japanese yokai folk spirit called Nure-onna (translation: wet woman), a vampiric deity that has the head of a woman and the body of a snake”—a reclamatory 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, a contrast concisely represented by “The Greatest” and “Skin a Rat,” respectively.
Ashworth says of “The Greatest” in a statement, “This song is about how often the greatest, heaviest feelings we have for someone are in the absence of the realization or reciprocation of that love. Like power born out of a black hole. All fantasy.” She describes “Skin a Rat” as “a soundtrack to cathartic release of anger and frustration with oppressive systems and humans. Very nu-metal influenced,” adding, “Wrote and demoed the whole song on my iPad with midi drums and hired an epic drummer to perform it live to tape.”
Megadeth’s Dirk Verbeuren drums on “Skin a Rat,” with Tamko and actor/comedian Patti Harrison contributing vocals, while Duffy plays guitar on “The Greatest.” Ashworth produced both tracks, recording at Segall’s Topanga, California, studio and Log Mansion in Mt. Washington.
Also included on Squeeze is Ashworth’s thrasher of a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Sorry Entertainer,” which she released over the summer.
SASAMI is currently on tour, supporting Japanese Breakfast in North America this fall, then Mitski in the E.U. and U.K. in spring 2022.
Watch the “The Greatest” video (dir. Jennifer Juniper Stratford) and “Skin a Rat” visualizer (dir. Andrew Thomas Huang) below, and keep scrolling for SASAMI’s “Sorry Entertainer” cover, 2018 Paste Studio session, new album details and tour dates.
Squeeze Tracklist:
01. Skin A Rat
02. The Greatest
03. Say It
04. Call Me Home
05. Need It To Work
06. Tried To Understand
07. Make It Right
08. Sorry Entertainer
09. Squeeze (feat. No Home)
10. Feminine Water Turmoil
11. Not A Love Song
Squeeze Album Art:
SASAMI Tour Dates:
October
29 – Dallas, TX @ Studio at the Factory ^
30 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^
31 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s (Levitation)
November
01 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger ^
03 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Outdoor Plaza) ^
04 – Tempe, AZ @ Coca-Cola Sun Deck at Sun Devil Stadium ^
07 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre ^
09 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ^
11 – Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery ^ – SOLD OUT
12 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Madonna Inn ^
13 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst ^
15 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House ^ – SOLD OUT
16 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House ^ – SOLD OUT
March 2022
04 – Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
05 – Woodstock, NY @ The Colony
06 – Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
08 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s
10 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
11 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover
21 – Nashville, TN @ The End
22 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory Stage
24 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
27 – Cambridge, MA @ Sonia
30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
31 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
April 2022
01 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
02 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
03 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
05 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
08 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder
09 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
10 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
21 – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory * – SOLD OUT
22 – Leeds, UK @ University Union Refectory *
23 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom *
25 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street * -SOLD OUT
26 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy *
28 – London, UK @ The Roundhouse * – SOLD OUT
29 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton *
30 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique Festival *
May 2022
02 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix * – SOLD OUT
03 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia *
04 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso * – SOLD OUT
06 – Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten *
07 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks *
09 – Berlin, DE @ Metropol * – SOLD OUT
10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega * – SOLD OUT
11 – Stockholm, SE @ Fallan
12 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene * – SOLD OUT
14 – Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik * – SOLD OUT
15 – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria * – SOLD OUT
17 – Vienna, AT @ WUK * – SOLD OUT
18 – Prague, CZ @ Archa Theatre *
19 – Munich, DE @ Strom * – SOLD OUT
(^ w/ Japanese Breakfast)
(* w/ Mitski)
