The last time SASAMI headlined the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was in March of 2022 at Johnny Brenda’s, which the singer/songwriter told me during a chat last November was a particularly memorable experience: “That was a great show! I think I injured my guitarist at that show… I remember a very distinct headbutt.” “I remember it being really raucous, but that might be because I’m really raucous,” she adds during a phone chat that I had with the LA-based artist just last week. As we caught up, she tells me she actually has a handful of vivid memories of the city, including eating amazing dim sum in Chinatown during her days in Cherry Glazerr, back when Mannequin Pussy was opening for them, and a particularly interesting overnight experience when she played PhilaMOCA on the first SASAMI tour in 2019: “We stayed in an Airbnb on a boat on the Delaware. I didn’t even know there was water in Philadelphia!”
SASAMI was last in town in November, when she was providing direct support for punk rockers Destroy Boys at Union Transfer. She was promoting her forthcoming third full-length, Blood on the Silver Screen, a full-on 21st Century pop record… a curious follow-up to 2022’s Squeeze, which I’ve described as “equal parts Ozzfest and Lilith Fair” and had her touring with a metal band. Although she’s admitted to me that exploring different musical worlds is much of what drives her (She’s classically trained and has characterized herself to me as an indie kid with a composition background.) Blood on the Silver Screen, which we discussed at length during our November chat, dropped March 7th via Domino, SASAMI’s home since her 2019 self-titled debut.
Those who listened to the latest edition of Philthy Radio, my show for Y-Not Radio (now streaming), heard “In Love With A Memory,” Blood on the Silver Screen’s latest single, which features SASAMI’s longtime friend Clairo. However, during our most recent phone chat, SASAMI tells me that she’s been impressed that, since the album’s release, a lot of fans have been appreciating the LP’s non-singles: “I think I just always expected that people are lazy and will ignore the B-side, but I think there are some good songs on the B-side and a lot of people seem to like them, like ‘For The Weekend.’” And last month, just as Blood on the Silver Screen dropped, SASAMI played stripped down versions of the new music at a handful of solo in-store performances in New York and England, which she tells me also proved to be gratifying: “It was nice to feel like the songs can survive on their own, with just vocals and a guitar.”
A little more than a week ago, SASAMI kicked off her first full-scale North American headlining tour since LP #3 hit shelves, which will have her at Underground Arts this Saturday, May 3rd, which she tells me will be something a little different from her show supporting Destroy Boys, and not just in length: “The show is always changing. It’s always different… When I’m opening, I can feel the resistance of trying to win over the audience, but sometimes with my audience there isn’t resistance, so I kind of have to create it.” She goes on to add, “I think it’s a lot more vocal-centric than previous tours.” And while SASAMI spent a few years on the road after the release of Squeeze; including jaunts supporting Haim, yeule, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs; she admits that all of the touring she did prior to Blood on the Silver Screen has her longing for some time at home, but she says it won’t be too long before she’s back out there: “I did so much leading up to the album, I’m probably gonna take a break after this run, but I’ll probably be back out in the fall.”
*Get your tickets here.
