By Emily Vescio
Sasha Sloan recently released her third EP – Self Portrait. Building up to an album, her discography thus far is close to perfect. Sasha is a talented writer, as is shown through her endless list of writing credits. She’s written for and with Louis Tomlinson, Camilla Cabello, Charli XCX, LANY, John Legend – the list goes on.
Sasha has really perfected the Sad Bop™️ (not actually trademarked) in a way that is so new to the music industry. Depression and existentialism is something that is so relatable to most but nobody wants to talk about. Sasha being so open about things in all her releases so far and especially Self Portrait is something I commend her highly for.
Thoughts
Thoughts is the introductory track to Self Portrait, and sets the tone for the rest of the EP, and it sets one hell of a tone. This song dropped a couple weeks prior to the whole EP and had people sweating from the eyes upon first listen. Sasha is of course known for her songwriting, and this is no exception. Accompanied by synth inspired instrumentals and her iconic vocal runs embedded into the backing track, this song leads you into the rest of the EP (mostly) prepared for what’s to come.
Thank God
Something a lot of us don’t want to acknowledge, and is definitely barely spoken about in music – the afterlife and what the heck happens to us. Taking it into her stride that she’s a “sinner”, Sasha flips a common phrase on its head and makes you feel like it’s time to do the same. Thank God feels like the end of a party. If you know anything about parties, you’ll know the end of the night is the best part – when everything is dying down and it’s just the best of the best dancing and singing and having the time of their life.
Keep On
Out of all the tracks on Self Portrait, Keep On is the one that makes me the most emotional. I think it’s something that everyone needs to hear sometimes and this song came out when it was one of those times. I was coming home from a trip I was not handling well and walking onto the plane was the first time I heard this song and instantly started crying so hard. I can’t properly articulate how good this song is so you’ll have to take my word for it and listen for yourself.
Dancing With Your Ghost
Dancing With Your Ghost is so soft and yet exceptionally intense at the same time. Coming into the song, it’s so stripped back with just a piano and Sasha singing over it. As the first verse fades into the pre chorus, the strong beat coupled with her heavenly tones in the chorus build up almost instantly bring you to tears. As the title suggests, this is a great song for a Ghost Waltz (another phrase I’m looking to trademark).
at least i look cool
Purposefully leaving the title of this song uncapitalised makes the track feel softer and more reserved and I literally can’t work how to word that better at all. at least i look cool is the relatable track of the century for people who aren’t into partying. This song is so vibe-y and fun with such sad undertones it’s a wonder that it works as well as it does. This is also often the song I send people when I’m trying to force encourage them to listen to one of my favourite artists.
Too Sad To Cry
This is a feeling I could never articulate. Too Sad To Cry does it far too well. When you listen to this, be prepared to get right in your feels. A track that can’t be put into words, similar to the rest of these. The high vocals in the chorus bring on the emotions in ways that science can’t explain. Too Sad To Cry is more stripped back than most of the other songs on Self Portrait, but it fits and balances out some of the more instrumentally heavy tracks.
smiling when i die
I cherish this song. Sasha’s writing on all these tracks, but especially this one is so elevated from the music she was making before. Trying to pick apart this song and the lyrics and think too deep into it doesn’t feel right for this song or Sasha. As a whole, the song sells the emotion and feeling of life passing by too fast and not feeling like you’re making the most of it in the most perfect way. I think I under-appreciated it when it was released as a single, but it really is the best possible end to this EP. It wraps everything up ideally, as Sasha does best. Life passes by so quickly and so did this EP.
