EP REVIEW: Sasha Asaad - Casablanker

With her second EP released this year, Nottingham based Alt-Rock songwriter Sasha Assad’s hard work in the studio has resulted in another catchy, raw and heartbreaking four track effort in ‘Casablanker’. 

On the back of signing to Fierce Panda last year, the independent record label that originally scooped up Coldplay, Sasha's latest effort delivers a maturing sound and intelligent wordplay that stakes her claim to be on every Indie kids’ radar.

Opener ‘Imagine Mary’ is her most convincing release to date. Emulating the Pixies and The Breeders, she deploys a captivating and playful bass line alongside smart lyrics in the first couple of lines:

“I think I’m coming down with the flu, and it’s not the prettiest view. 

So I lock myself in my room, achoo achoo achoo.” 

The initial lighthearted tone is off set against a chorus that has sensibilities of a classic Indie-Pop anthem but overall remains truly Alternative and off-kilter with Sasha yearning “I think she might be one". Such a euphoric chorus fused with a sarcastic, upbeat approach to self-mockery draws resemblances to contemporary genre-bending Post-Punk and Alt-Rock rising stars Honeyglaze, the Mercury Prize 2024 nominees English Teacher, and fellow Nottinghamshire colleague Divorce whom Sasha supported in December 2023. 

This paradoxically buoyant self-mockery continues with ‘Cherry Cola’ and the eponymous track ‘Casablanker’ where instead of lamenting about being led on and rejected, Sasha makes fun of such circumstances and ironically introduces jangly guitars tailored to long summer drives. ‘Cherry Cola’ leans more towards R.E.M. and the Pixies' ‘Here Comes Your Man’ whereas the guitars and vulnerable vocal delivery in ‘Casablanker’ are comparable to debut albums of late noughties British festival staples The Maccabees and Bombay Bicycle Club. 

‘Useless’ ends the EP with a tear jerking ballad, consisting solely of Sasha's sombre voice and the delicate strums of an electric guitar, equally demonstrating her success when ditching the self-deprecating sense of humour for a quiet moment of self-pity.

Although early into her career, Sasha Assad shows immense promise with ‘Casablanker’ in both her lyrical and sonic innovation that cunningly deals with heartbreak with relatable humour and familiar chiming Alt-Rock as the half-Egyptian, half-Nottinghamshire artist sets her sights for grander stages.