SASAMI is in the heart of a storm on new anthemic rock single “Honeycrash”

Two years after her sophomore album, Squeeze, balanced between the industrial and the melodic, SASAMI is back balancing grandeur and patience on “Honeycrash,” the first single and video of a yet-to-be-announced album presumably on the horizon. The song comes right before her supporting slot on DIIV’s tour, which is preceded by a headlining LA show at The Echo on June 5.

So far, SASAMI’s second life as a solo artist after previously serving as Cherry Glazerr’s keyboardist is one marked by daring creative pivots and an ability to spin genres together from opposite ends of popular music. Before its release, “Honeycrash” was tested at various live shows, seemingly in an effort to engineer the song to its full anthemic potential.

Apart from the cinematic music video, “Honeycrash” offers some clues for what SASAMI’s live shows will be like moving forward, with the singer-songwriter roaring on the back of brooding guitar-playing and violent drum thrashes. “Who can love you like I do?” she asks during the chorus, one example of how the lyrics match the dark, end-of-the-world atmosphere present in the production. It also encapsulates the often crystal-clear sincerity found in many of SASAMI’s songs from her previous two albums, a good indication that her upcoming project will follow suit.

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SASAMI wanted the music video for “Honeycrash” to be a “peek into the new world that I have been building and teasing out on stage,” something achieved through the decision to shoot against an LED volume wall. With Andrew Thomas Huang, best known for directing videos for other genre-pushing artists like FKA Twigs and Björk, behind the camera, the apocalyptic natural disasters surrounding SASAMI add to the impending dread of searching for a lifelong partner.

“Finding a love so great you’re willing to persist through the elements, even toward certain death to bear its ravishment,” said SASAMI. “It’s about wanting to fight for the pinnacle of passion and desire but knowing that you can’t change or rush someone else’s feelings or where they’re at. But with a guitar as my sword and my steed.”

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Just from the visuals and songwriting of “Honeycrash,” there’s a sense of deep concentration on SASAMI’s part when it comes to the new direction she’s taking. Part of that artistry can be chalked up to her already proven skills as an artist, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t reaffirmed her strengths and then some.

Words: David Sosa

“Honeycrash” by SASAMI is out now on all streaming services. For more on new music and tour dates, including her LA show at The Echo on June 5, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and her website.

SASAMI Tour Dates:

6/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
6/6 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst *
6/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *
6/8 – Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post *
6/10 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre *
6/12 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall *
6/13 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall *
6/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *
6/16 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *

* w/ DIIV