Smoochies

Ashnikko’s third full-length studio album, for the first time, is for her. In the PR wake of the release of this record, the artist has gone on-record saying that Smoochies is a positive nihilistic approach to music. This is an important step following her sophomore LP WEEDKILLER, for which the creation process stripped her of her passion for making music in the pursuit to out-do her popular debut album, DEMIDEVIL. The spontaneity, creative flexibility, and anything-goes attitude that Ashnikko has talked about embracing on this album is audible - and I like it.

While certainly not an artist for everyone, you have to give Ashnikko credit for being herself. She is an artist to her core, and while her voice and production can sometimes be a little hard on the ears, you have to give her credit for creating something uniquely her own in her music. Smoochies is most certainly this. On it, the artist is using her most autobiographical approach yet, writing more as herself as opposed to some character. This album gives big one-take energy at times. This is not to say the production is lacking (for the most part, it is quite strong), but there is a carelessness in its core - especially in Ashnikko’s writing and rhyming. Of course, silly lyrics are to be expected with Ashnikko. Her over-the-top style helps her get away with a lot of absurdities other artists wouldn’t be able to. If there are any lyrics that are just too silly or slutty for you, you can just write them off as part of the extremities of her artistry.

I would love to be able to tell you what genre Smoochies falls into, but it is a struggle. You could not accurately identify the record’s genre from listening to one, two, or even three songs. Generally, it is a glossy pop record, though the K-pop, country, rock, and R&B influences are strong. The next might be completely different. So, not that one song could have represented the whole album, but I do think Ashnikko could have picked a better first track. Smoochie Girl was an interesting choice, as the record offers remarkably better and bolder moments in later tracks. An album like this will already be targeting a very niche audience - all the more reason for the first track to have the best chances of pulling more people in. Instead, Ashnikko kicks the album off with the weakest, least remarkable song on the album. 

But don’t let this deter you. There are decent tracks still to come. Full Frontal, Wet Like (feat. COBRAH), Itty Bitty, and Baby Teeth all stand out above the others for their production and catchiness alike. I do find Ashnikko’s techno-dance songs to be the best on the record, but that might be a personal avoidance of the pop-sounding songs. Still, the biggest issue with the record is its incoherence. The album does not feel like a coherent album, but rather an arrangement of singles. If Ashnikko was not willing to sacrifice a few genres, I think the production could have been improved to boost coherence and improve overall flow. The transitions are weak and there is a lack of storytelling. The record is fun, but does not make a lot of sense.

This incoherence goes beyond the tracklist. Namely, there is a distracting disjunction between the sonic and visual aesthetics of the album. Lyrically, the album is concerned with authentic self-exploration, playful absurdity and expression, female rage, and a celebration of autonomy and pleasure. This plot of being hot and impulsive is set to everything from bitch-techno to y2k flare pop sounds - a fusion of the sounds of an “It Girl”. And yet, Ashnikko chose the vintage pin-up in a psych ward aesthetic for the album? I stand by Ashnikko being one of the coolest fashion icons in the music scene and just overall of the most dedicated all-around artists in the industry. The looks and videos for the album are neat in their own right - but feel like a total mismatch for the music. Why is she dressed like a toy locked up in a doll (mad)house when she is singing about taking on the world and becoming a better version of herself?

In the end, in between the pussy-talk, you can find little windows to peer through into Ashnikko’s growth, which is ultimately the heart of Smoochies: “I am not a vessel for men to love themselves anymore.” Fuck yeah.