Review Summary: More conceptual, more ambitious... and sadly, less engaging.
Since the beginning of her career, Ashnikko has been straddling the line between genuine artistry and absurd self-parody. Whether she’s doing so
effectively or not… well, that’s certainly up for debate. Just take a look at this quote from her 2020 interview with NME, as she describes her musical style:
“I wrote it down the other day, it’s angry, punk, hip-hop, sad-girl-feminist, bubblegum, poo-poo music. It’s a lot of things. I find it really hard to stick to one thing because I’m so fickle and I like to change my mind a lot.”
Now, that’s a LOT of tags all at once – many quite contradictory, too. I can’t think of any other artist who’s ever labeled their work as “poo-poo music” (a term that smacks of self-deprecation), especially after using the label “sad-girl-feminist”. Still, Ashnikko’s debut mixtape did give some reason and context to the above quote; after all,
Demidevil was filled with contradictions in its own right. It was bold and confident, yet not afraid to linger in its own ridiculous sense of camp. The lyrics were brash and brazen, yet delivered over slick, polished beats. And while the mixtape was – quite frankly – a mess, at least it could be dubbed an
entertaining mess.
All of this is to say that I had NO idea what to expect going into
WEEDKILLER. Would it be just as zany and aggro as
Demidevil, or would Ashnikko rein things in and deliver a more measured experience? After all, the album’s rollout suggested something more conceptual and ambitious. From the “environment vs. technology” message to the elaborate visual component – including Ashnikko’s representation of an oppressed fae civilization – there was a lot to chew on before the record even came out. However, while I can respect the attempt at elevating oneself artistically, this also happens to be the big millstone that drags the album down.
But let’s shelve that talking point for the time being, and just focus on what
WEEDKILLER brings to the table. On a surface level, Ashnikko’s debut LP isn’t
too far removed from what she was going for on
Demidevil. Similar aggro-raps, highly processed melodic singing, glossy production, brash attitude, you get the idea. Yet, as I hinted at earlier, the music is (for the most part) more restrained than on the mixtape. Sure, you’ll occasionally get a boldfaced banger like “Cheerleader” or “Chokehold Cherry Python” (the former’s chorus gets stuck in my head all the time…), but such moments are tempered with a stronger overall melodic sensibility. In other words, expect less rapping and more autotuned singing this time around.
Things start off promisingly enough: opener “World Eater” sets the stage nicely with a cinematic flair, as Ashnikko cycles through just about every vocal style and mood you’ll hear on the rest of
WEEDKILLER. And, to give her additional credit here, she does juggle these different sounds quite well from time to time. Just check out the title track, which sees her switching almost effortlessly between eccentric yelps and vaguely Middle Eastern vocal inflections, all while accompanied by an aggressive, militant trap beat. The song successfully bridges together Ashnikko’s various strengths as an artist, linking her outrageous larger-than-life persona with her penchant for infectious pop hooks. Then there’s “Super Soaker”, whose near-constant, propulsive beat makes even its most subdued moments compelling and energetic. Still, I wish guest artist Daniela Lalita was given a little more to contribute with her feature.
Now, this is all well and good, but how does it all
come together? Well, unfortunately, this is where we’ll have to swing back around to the “millstone” I mentioned earlier. For an album that purports to have such a unified concept and vision,
WEEDKILLER is surprisingly scattershot and unfocused in its approach. In trying to expand her stylistic range and sonic palette, Ashnikko has created a record that’s not as fun as
Demidevil, while also not being as deep or intriguing as its concept suggests. As a result, most of the album is stuck in creative limbo – not having much of an established identity or personality. Moreover, many of the softer and more reserved tracks are simply… well, boring. “Miss Nectarine”, for instance, plods along at a snail’s pace while Ashnikko goes through the motions, delivering some of the most uninspired vocal melodies on the record. Meanwhile, “Possession of a Weapon” is a complete non-starter. Sure, there are some nice atmospheric backing vocals here and there, but they never build up to anything truly substantial or interesting. Tracks like these not only drag the album down, but they also make its concept less compelling and engaging.
Barring a few exceptions, most of
WEEDKILLER can be split up into two categories:
banger or
mid. There’s not much wiggle room in between. I hate to be “that guy” who states that Ashnikko should simply return to the dumb fun of
Demidevil, as I do believe she has the creative potential to expand on what she attempted with
WEEDKILLER. The problem here is that she couldn’t quite reconcile the bold, brazen side of her identity with the more contemplative moments she tried to incorporate; as a result, both aspects of the album come up short. To be clear, you could make a
killer playlist with the best cuts here, especially the super-energetic songs like the aforementioned “Cheerleader” and “Chokehold Cherry Python”. Unfortunately,
WEEDKILLER as a whole isn’t quite as fun.
