Samia – Bloodless
There’s a notion (a fairly silly one) that certain music – usually dependent on the age of the performer – is only digestible by a fairly narrow age group. Honestly, even I’ve been tricked by that presumption. Last time singer-songwriter Samia swung through Denver, I chose not to go, even though I’d loved her recent Tiny Desk Concert. I figured the songs – and her crowd – would be too “young” for me. That was dumb. So with a renewed effort to listen (aided by a fantastic lead single), I dove into Samia’s new album, Bloodless, hoping to find a lyrical link between a gifted young songwriter and a not-so-young listener.
That first single, “Bovine Excision,” leads off the album proper (after “Biscuits Intro,” a brief nat sound track) with acoustic guitar from album co-producer Jake Luppen and has Samia striving to create an unswimmable gulf between herself and, well, anyone in her circle, moving from “I wanna be untouchable” to “I wanna be impossible.” The song’s title is drawn from a mysterious, bloodless removal of organs from cattle. It sounds like some weird “X-Files” shit, but for Samia, it’s a metaphorical desire to remove herself from the expectations of others – “And drained, drained bloodless.” If you’re untouchable and impossible, unattainable and all but lifeless, maybe the crushing outside expectations will abate.
This self-removal is a theme across Bloodless. The shimmery “Lizard” contains maybe the best line on the record – “It’s a beautiful party, and it’s not mine to ruin” – while issuing a challenge (a warning?”) to someone thinking of approaching her – “You keep flashing your angle/Like you wanna see mine/(Don’t do it).” The subdued ”Craziest Person” has Samia exercising some insightful self-deprecation – “Maybe it’s just the craziest person in the room/Makes me the second craziest person in the room/I’d rather hear someone else’s problems/Than worry about what I’m supposed to do.” She realizes, though, that this more-than-arms-length approach to self-protection is not without its pitfalls. “Sacred” is bright in its twangy indie tone, but it’s stuffed with the kind of resentment that comes from loving to a dead end – “I wanted you to love me like you hate me now.” And it’s when Samia goes quiet that the truth fully comes out. “Proof,” the prettiest, most hushed song on Bloodless, displays the singer’s most naked spite – “And when you weren’t there/I made out of thin air/What would bear resemblance to proof/That you don’t know me, bitch.” As she’s doing this – punishing to push away – she never loses sight of the fact that she’s the one she’s hurting the most.
So, what can a middle-aged listener take away from the turbulent life of a young adult? It can be a forehead-slapping type of moment, as in, “I did that – what the hell was I thinking?” Even with our age – our “lived experience” – we’re really no smarter than the generations that follow us. If you listen closely enough to the songs on Bloodless, you hear Samia realize that her approach to protecting herself isn’t sustainable. But, as we age, we tend to keep separating ourselves from risk, unintentionally blocking happiness in the process. Maybe what we can learn from Samia’s experience is…stop putting up walls, before it’s too late to tear them down. And that includes ALWAYS going to the show.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Bovine Excision” – aside from the deeply personal self-evaluation, the building, quiet to loud to LOUD, makes this song one of the most sonically thrilling listens of the year.
Bloodless was produced by Caleb Wright and Jake Luppen, engineered by Brett Bullion and Whistler Allen, mixed by Wright and Alex Farrar and mastered by Dave Trumfio. All songs written by Samia Finnerty, with co-writing credits going to Luppen, Wright, Christian Lee Hutson, Raffaella Meloni, Quinn McGovern and Nathan Stocker. Musicians on the album include Wright (electric guitar, bass, programming, synth, clarinet, keys), Luppen (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, background vocals, synth), Stocker (electric guitar, baritone guitar, piano, banjo), Allen (drums), Bullion (MAX MSP), McGovern (keys), Meloni (background vocals), Briston Maroney (electric guitar, background vocals), Soren Burkum (drums), Sam Rosenstone (keys), Joey Hayes (drums) and Henry Breen (electric guitar),
Go here to order Bloodless (out April 25): https://threefourco.com/collections/samia
Check out tour dates here: https://www.samiaband.com/#tour
