Move over Miley and take your flowers with you! The real queen of breakup anthems is back with a righteous anger-filled bop. On Feb. 8, the electropop sensation Ashnikko (“Panic Attacks in Paradise”) decided to bless us all with an aggressive new single titled “You Make Me Sick!” with a wildly weird video to match. Ashnikko is not one to shy away from things that are gross and bizarre, which is made clear when the sequence of throwing up in plastic tubes connected to dancers comes up. She is known for pushing boundaries when it comes to fashion and visual art and this drop is some of her most creative work yet.
Differing from her previous work which was more pop-oriented, Ashnikko employs some elements of nu-metal and punk in the new single. She is a master of articulating feminine rage and has described this particular work as “My own personal rage room for me to smash my plates,” according to NME. Saam Farahmand, who has worked with the likes of Mick Jagger (“Gotta Get A Grip”) and Janet Jackson (“Feedback”) directed the video, bringing Ashnikko’s nightmarish visions to life. It contains sequences of flashing lights not recommended for some viewers.
The track is thoroughly angry, sending venom to some sorry ex-lover who has likely been left quaking after this masterpiece exploded onto screens thousands of times over. In the span of three days it has garnered over half a million views on YouTube. Ashnikko sings, “You like my boots?/I could squash you like a little rotten fruit,” doubling down on her motif of crawling creatures and unsightly things. She captivates her audience by being flashy, provocative and downright obscene. Her catalog can be described as “feral” and “highly experimental,” putting her on the very cutting edge of the music industry today.
Ashnikko is not a new face on the music scene and has been putting out songs since around 2016, but her big break came in 2019 when she released “Stupid!” in collaboration with Baby Tate (“Ain’t No Love”). Fans of the blue-haired songstress have been patiently awaiting a drop since the release of her album “DEMIDEVIL” in 2021 followed by two non-album singles “Panic Attacks in Paradise” and “Maggots.” Like all songs that are insanely addictive and spectacular, the single is under three minutes long but packs an insane punch. This is the type of song that burrows into your brain and does not leave for a solid month, which is to be expected since Ashnikko has previously collaborated with other hit-makers like Grimes (“Miss Anthropocene”) and Princess Nokia (“Everything Is Beautiful”).
If you are looking for music that screams “certified maneater,” then Ashnikko is the artist for you. There is not a single track in her discography that could be considered subpar or undeserving of merit. She frequently preaches themes of self-love in songs like “Hi, It’s Me” while also leaving space for anger, which is an area that female artists have begun to explore more confidently in recent years. Ashnikko seems to be leading the charge.
Image from Ashnikko via YouTube
