Sasha Sloan is an alternative artist who has claimed sadness as her brand. Sloan was born in Boston and then moved to Los Angeles and began writing for popstars like Charlie XCX, Dua Lipa, and Camilia Cabello. She has released three EPs, “Sad Girl,” “Loser,” and “Self Portrait.” All songs have stunning vocals and deep, emotional poetry. On Oct. 16, Sasha Sloan’s long-awaited debut album, “Only Child,” was released. Sloan’s fans knew it was going to be an emotional kick to the heart.
The most popular tracks according to Apple Music are “Matter To You,” “Hypochondriac,” and “Is It Just Me?” The album opener, “Matter To You” is a sweet romantic song. The guitar and drums compliment her voice. She sings about how she knows she is loved and cared about by one person. Sloan sings, “Sometimes I feel like I’m nobody at all / But you make me feel like I’m someone, you do / ‘Cause I know I’m someone to / You make me feel like I matter, you do.” The song has a very soft, calming, warm tone.
“Hypochondriac” is similar to “Matter To You.” Sloan sings over an acoustic guitar. This song is about falling for someone and how she finally takes care of herself because she has something to live for. Sloan’s love interest has turned her into a hypochondriac. The lyrics say, “Now I call my doctor every day / since I met you something in me’s changed / second that you called me yours / I had something worth living for.” It is a charmingly dark song about the realistic worries one has when in love.
In “Is It Just Me?,” Sloan lists the things she does not like. It is an elegantly written song about wondering if everyone else has the same opinions as her. She says, “Weddings are outdated / The show Friends was overrated / I think rich kids have it easy / And PDA is creepy.” She wonders if she is the only one; “Is it just me or does anybody / feel the way that I feel? / They’re just not being real.” It is a very catchy song with an infectious melody. Sloan is great with relating to her listeners. Her vocals are clean and beautiful.
Three underrated songs on the album are “Only Child,” “Highschool Me,” and “House With No Mirrors.” The title track “Only Child” tells a story of what it would be like to not be an only child. Her vocals are powerful and she does an amazing job of telling a captivating story. The lyrics say, “It gets lonely being an only child.” You can feel her loneliness in the song. It is the perfect fit for the title track. “Only Child” captures the essence of Sloan and the songs on the album.
Sloan said in an Apple Music interview, “I’m pretty cynical, I grew up really fast, and it was just my mom and I for a very long time. And only children often feel like outsiders, because we don’t learn how to fight with people, how to make up with people, how to grow. So it kind of summed me up as a person. It felt all-encompassing.”
“Highschool Me” is a powerful song about looking back on the struggling times of high school. It is a great, upbeat song, and a change of pace from Sloan’s typical, stylistic strength in ballads. Sloan explores a new, happy, upbeat style on a few songs. Here, she sings about the way most people feel looking back at high school, relating to her mostly adult audience: “If high school me could see me now I bet high school me would be so proud, she’d find out / The cool kids, they ain’t everything / The world is so much bigger than her town / If high school me could see me now.”
“House With No Mirrors” is a song about self confidence. It is also about her personal struggle with body dysmorphia. This song tells a story of what her life would be if she did not have to worry about what she looked like. It has a cheery, happy tone despite a deep subject. She says, “If I lived in a house with no mirrors / where the walls didn’t pick me apart / maybe my skin would be thicker.”
Sloan’s album is an emotional rollercoaster that will leave a listener wanting to ride over and over again. It is a charmingly beautiful piece of art. Sloan has an amazing talent for storytelling through her songwriting. For now, she is an underrated artist, but her debut album is going to make her a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Go listen to “Only Child” now on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Deezer.
Featured Image courtesy of Justin Higuchi via Flickr Creative Commons
