''Weedkiller'' is the debut studio
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer-songwriter and rapper
Ashnikko
Ashton Nicole Casey (born February 19, 1996), known professionally as Ashnikko ( ), is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. They rose to prominence with their 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate, which gained viral popularity on t ...
. It was released on August 25, 2023, through
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
and
Warner Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
.
The album has been supported by five
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
; the lead single, "You Make Me Sick!", "Worms", "Weedkiller", "Possession of a Weapon" and "Cheerleader".
Background
''Weedkiller'' follows Ashnikko's 2021 debut mixtape ''
Demidevil
''Demidevil'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut mixtape by American singer-songwriter and rapper Ashnikko. It was released on January 15, 2021, through Parlophone and Warner Records. The mixtape was supported by four singles: "Cry" featuring ...
''. Ashnikko then headlined her first tour to support the mixtape. "Panic Attacks in Paradise" and "Maggots" were released on September 29, 2021, as a double single. It was supposed to be the lead single from her debut album, but that project was eventually scrapped. Ashnikko took a break from releasing music during 2021–2022 to work on her debut album.
On September 2, 2022, Ashnikko shared a link to
Goga Sekulić
Gordana "Goga" Sekulić ( sr-cyr, Гордана "Гога" Секулић; born 27 February 1977) is a Montenegrin-born Serbian singer. Born in Pljevlja, she saw her breakthrough with the debut album ''Ljubavnica'' in 2000. Sekulić has release ...
's song "Sexy biznismen" (2006), dubbing it "album inspiration". On February 8, 2023, she released her new single "You Make Me Sick!" as the new lead single. She announced the release date, album cover, track list and world tour on March 1, 2023. On May 17, Ashnikko announced that their debut album was pushed back and would release on August 25 instead of June 2. This was due to her UK label being absolved.
Concept
The concept behind the album is described in press materials as being "a commentary on environmental disaster and the rapid evolution of technology" that tells "the story of a fae civilization occupied and destroyed by machines that feed on organic matter where the faerie protagonist seeks revenge by becoming part machine."
Singles
"You Make Me Sick!" replaced "Panic Attacks in Paradise" and "Maggots" as the lead singles from the album. The track was released as the new lead single on February 8, 2023, and a music video for the single was released on the same day.
"Worms" was released on March 2, 2023, as the album's second single. Its official music video was released on March 8. The song's style was described as "sunny pop".
[
A month later, Ashnikko unveiled the song "Weedkiller", the title track from the album, returning to the ]post-industrial
In sociology, the post-industrial society is the stage of society's development when the service sector generates more wealth than the manufacturing sector of the economy.
The term was originated by Alain Touraine and is closely related to s ...
sound of "You Make Me Sick". The accompanying music video, filmed in Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, was postponed for a week following the Belgrade school shooting.
On May 24, 2023, "Possession of a Weapon" was released as the fourth single from the album.
After previewing the song through her social media, Ashnikko announced "Cheerleader" as the fifth single for July 28.
Critical reception
''Weedkiller'' received positive reviews from contemporary music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. At Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, a website that aggregates reviews
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
of music albums, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 78, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Otis Robinson of ''DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
'' writes that "''Weedkiller'' is a funneling of rage – a quest to rediscover autonomy and cement identity - but despite the darkness is ridiculously fun, too. It's a triumphant debut – one that changes the game like a live wire in water." Writing for ''The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'', Elliot Burr describes the album as "a definitive project encapsulating body autonomy, queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
love, humour and fury", and calls Ashnikko "a vocal chameleon whose performance stands out amongst the rich production traversing decaying foliage, fizzling suns and AI leaders." Alex Rigotti of ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote that "the boundary-smashing artist's songs refract themes of hope and survival through a multitude of moods and genres" and adds that "''Weedkiller'' expertly weaves public and personal politics into an impressively captivating narrative for a debut.
In the review for the AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, it was remarked that, "Ashnikko is part rage rapper, part feminist pop star, part disaffected rocker with emo-goth tendencies, but still somehow categorically none of the above."
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
* Ashnikko
Ashton Nicole Casey (born February 19, 1996), known professionally as Ashnikko ( ), is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. They rose to prominence with their 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate, which gained viral popularity on t ...
– lead vocals (1–13)
* Daniela Lalita – vocals (4), background vocals (12)
* Dylan Brady
Dylan Marshall Brady (born November 27, 1993) is an American music producer and singer-songwriter best known for being one half of experimental electronic music duo 100 Gecs, alongside Laura Les. He also owns and operates his own record label, ...
- guitar (3)
* Ethel Cain
Hayden Silas Anhedönia (born March 24, 1998), known professionally as Ethel Cain, is an American singer-songwriter born in Tallahassee, Florida and living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In mid 2017, Cain began experimenting with writing, recordi ...
– vocals (13), guitar (13), piano (13)
* Micah Jasper - drums (6), synthesizer (6)
* Oscar Scheller – drums (6), synthesizer (12)
* Slinger – bass guitar (1–5, 7–8, 10–11, 13), guitar (1–3, 7, 9–11, 13), drums (1–5, 7–11), synthesizer (1–5, 7–11)
Technical
* Anthony Vilchis - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)
* Chris Gehringer
Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...
- masterer (1–3, 5–13)
* Frank Colucci - mixer (13)
* Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
- mixer (3, 6)
* Matt Glasbey - engineer (13)
* Micah Jasper - engineer (6)
* Oscar Scheller – mixer, (8, 12), engineer (6, 8, 12)
* Slinger - mixer (1–2, 4–5, 7, 9–11) , engineer (1–5, 7–11, 13)
* Trey Station - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)
* Zach Pereyra - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)
Charts
Release history
References
{{Ashnikko
2023 albums
Ashnikko albums
Warner Records albums