Ashnikko Tickets at 3Olympia Theatre

Ashnikko’s second album, Smoochies, is her most personal body of work to date. Following 2023’s debut WEEDKILLER, sonically it expands Ash’s distinct hybrid-pop sound while taking a significantly more autobiographical approach to lyrics. The 15-track album is a rebellious one, made from a place of radical joy at a time when the world, especially the US, has never felt more threatening for femmes and marginalised communities. In response, Ashnikko is taking up space by inhabiting a state of pure play. It’s absurd and grotesque, explicit and tender, sexy without an ounce of desire to perform for the male gaze.

Speaking on the “Smoochies”: Smoochies feels like Demidevil's older sister. It’s sexy, playful, and feminine, while toeing the line of grotesque and absurd. I feel like purse sediment so much of the time – like a mess of crumbs and gum in receipts and lipgloss that I’ve forgotten about – so the album feels like that too. This is the first where I’ve written very autobiographically, but at the core of it all is personal autonomy and joyful whimsy.