Sasami’s new album, Blood on the Silver Screen, marks a pivot from the metallic rumblings of Squeeze and the shoegaze undercurrents of her self-titled debut. Instead, she’s embracing a pop-forward spirit that feels like a love letter to the late-2000s and early-2010s—those Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson moments that dominated charts and dance floors. She’s teamed up with Jennifer Decilveo (famed for work with Miley Cyrus and Hozier) and Rostam Batmanglij (formerly of Vampire Weekend), creating tracks that balance intimate thoughts with radio-friendly hooks.
Yet this isn’t a parade of hollow bangers. At its core, Blood on the Silver Screen explores vulnerability and grit, weaving lyrics about heartache, desire, and that age-old quest to find real self-acceptance. “I’m such a cancer / I wish I had the answer, baby,” Sasami declares on “Slugger,” a track that nods to past pop icons while asking you to sweat it out on the dance floor. “Now I’m cry cry crying, like Dolly from ‘9 to 5’” she sighs, acknowledging the heartbreak but never wallowing in it for too long.
Her willingness to fuse slick production with a darker edge comes alive on “Nothing But A Sad Face On.” The track conjures a vision of Eve “banished from the Garden of Eden for fucking a snake. She’s leaning on the Gates of Eden smoking a cigarette reflecting, well, it’s worth being banished to get laid,” as Sasami notes in a press release. It’s a moody, magnetic highlight, brimming with sly undertones that recall the cinematic vibe hinted at by the album’s title.
Blood on the Silver Screen also has its share of confessional anthems. “Just Be Friends” dips into that post-breakup swirl of regret, only to be followed by the energetic pulse of “I’ll Be Gone,” underscoring Sasami’s cyclical dance between heartbreak and resilience. “So I probably should have seen it coming,” she admits, barely stopping to catch her breath before launching into another deep dive of emotion.
“For The Weekend” rides a grunge-tinged current: “Can we just pretend? ’Cause I’m only in love for the weekend,” she pleads, fully aware of the fleeting nature of her thrills. But the record isn’t pure gloom. “Figure It Out” and “The Seed” introduce a spark of optimism—an acknowledgement that even the most tangled feelings can hold a promise of growth. “The Seed,” especially, pairs layered harmonies with a raw guitar loop that shows the full range of Sasami’s vocal power.
“In Love With a Memory,” featuring Clairo, is an album standout where synths swirl around a nostalgia so strong it nearly veers into longing. The final line—“That’s all right, all right”—suggests Sasami is done apologizing for wanting what she wants. Even if this pop direction occasionally misses the indelible edge of her earlier work, Blood on the Silver Screen is still a testament to her restless creativity. She’s proving again that she can reinvent herself musically without losing the raw intimacy that first put her on the map.
Sasami, currently releasing music through Domino, continues to expand her presence on festival stages. Her live shows this year have been praised for weaving in the same cinematic undertones you hear on the record—fusing mainstream pop polish with fearless storytelling. Blood on the Silver Screen may not replicate the arresting strangeness of her previous albums, but it’s a testament to her willingness to step outside of any box she’s ever been placed in. The emotional highs and lows might leave you spinning, but that’s exactly the point: it’s an unapologetic pop adventure that trades predictability for unfiltered reflection.
