The level of relatability within a Sasha Alex Sloan song is high. Not only does she know how to craft a song that helps listeners feel understood, but she makes us feel as if we’re her most trusted confidant. As an artist, that’s something that is incomparable to chart success and follower counts. Other artists may emulate, but no one does it like Sloan.
After releasing her 2020 debut, Only Child, the singer gave listeners time to catch up. I was one of them. After delving into her entire catalog during the early winter of 2020, Sasha’s music was a light when things looked pretty bleak for me overall. From the musings of her three EPs, Sad Girl, Loser, and Self Portrait, themes of growing up, self-esteem, heartbreak, and the pains of depression and anxiety were all things I’ve never heard any artist be so open and honest about. This girl is such a breath of fresh air, and her sophomore record, I Blame The World – out now via RCA Records – is the icing on our Daria-esque themed cake!
Described by the singer herself as an “honest, non-hopeful” collection of work, Sloan kicks all of that toxic positivity to the curb as she digs deeper, asks bolder questions, and raises eyebrows to all of the things we’re supposed to ignore about life. Destigmatizing everything that comes with the struggle of having both depression and anxiety, I Blame The World poses the question we’re all maybe a little too humble to ask: maybe it’s not just me?
Opening with an intro with a healthy dose of vulnerability that sets the tone for the rest of the record, Sloan laments about losing the people we love over senseless violence – a short but sweet commentary on the culture we currently live in – giving way to title track, “I Blame The World” and new single, “Adult.” Coming in with an eye-roll to all of those signs you may find at a Home Goods store, “Live Laugh Love” chronicles a typical night in when you’re in the throes of being in your feelings, while “Thank You” is an anthem for all of those special individuals who stick around for us when things aren’t so great and we feel we don’t deserve it.
Lead single “WTF” is chock full of 90’s Alanis vibes set to an all too relatable what’s-the-fucking-point theme while “New Normal” and “Global Warming” are classic Sloan as the singer effortlessly blends tragedy with nuance, proving that there may be hope lying within those we love most after all despite the pain going on around us.
Album highlight, “I H8 Myself,” is everything we hoped would be on this album and then some. Bursting with the singer’s signature tongue-in-cheek sardonicism, the track dives into the blessings of being self-aware and insecure as there aren’t many things you can throw her way that she hasn’t already thought about herself. Very Shirley Manson of her. This one is going to be amazing live!
A brilliant play on words comes into play with “One Trick Phony” while closing track, “Hardest Thing” is one hell of a tearjerker. They say breaking up is hard to do, and this song encapsulates all of those harrowing emotions into four minutes.
Overall, I Blame The World is an album based off of all of the emotions we as human beings face. Hopefully, what people will take away from this record is that everyone is fighting a battle and it doesn’t have to make sense to you to be considered valid. Maybe, if we start to recognize that, we wouldn’t have to blame the world.
I Blame The World is available now here!
