“Am I the only one who sees cold blooded killers in every dark street?”
Adrian’s striking opening line of her chorus voices both the ubiquitous fear of getting hurt by a new partner, and the biting reality of living with PTSD. Her lyrics balance the gravity which comes from a lack of safety with cinematic nuance. As a listener, it is hard not to feel bemused by the movie-narrative, which coasts above the potential energy of violence. Even as Adrian croons, “cold blooded killers,” she implicates our contemporary moment: violence targeting women is far from anomalous. We see it all the time. In movies, media, and in our own lives.
Humor was Sasha Adrian’s vehicle for channeling this deeply personal material: “It is not a song I’ve written for people to feel sorry for me. I’ve written IMDb because I know that I am not the only one who has experienced fear and violence. In a way it is not that different from fearing heartbreak, but contrary to the fear of heartbreak, it is not a fear that we should tolerate, accept, or expect.”
“I’m done carrying my burden alone. Safety is our joint responsibility as a society, and that’s why I wanted to share my experience of what I feel like living with fear.”
Reception of the ’Token’ EP
Following two singles and a music video, Sasha Adrian released her debut EP ‘Token’(Celebration Records) in October 2023. In the wake of her releases, she was met with praise like:
“The singer-songwriter has a voice that melts the Arctic ice even faster and the guitar sound is rough as a Scandinavian landscape.” – Telex, BELGIUM
”Sasha Adrian has a talent for tugging at the heartstrings.” –Grimy Goods, LA
“It’s a stark and bruising introduction to Sasha Adrian, yet one that lingers in the memory.” – For The Rabbits, LONDON
With ‘Token,’ Sasha Adrian introduced us to her honesty, temper, and willingness to speak to truths which we’d often rather bury. Her music powerfully contrasts distorted guitars against piercing vocals. From whispered vulnerability to growled ferocity, Adrian’s range is at once crushing and empowering. Influenced by the likes of Snail Mail, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo, Sasha Adrian responds to her generation’s need to give voice to the shyest of truths.
Sasha Adrian
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