The release of DemiDevil has been a rocky one for Ashnikko. Its original release date was pushed back from October 2020 to February 2021 so Ashnikko could put all her love and energy to promoting the album, but that was before a distribution mix-up that led to physical copies being sent out to fans ahead of schedule. Ashnikko did the best with the situation and pushed the release date forward to January 15.
DemiDevil is blunt, crude, referential and draws influences from Nu-metal, trap, and pop-punk. It is a mix of post-breakup songs and self-empowerment. It goes through it’s ups and downs of where it can be humorous, serious, and crude, but despite it all it is always fun.
The album starts with “Daisy,” a single which focuses on dispelling gender norms throughout the entire song with lyrics such as, “make your man call me daddy,” and “fxck a princess, I’m a king. bow down and kiss on my ring.” It is the “bad bxtch” single of the album hands down and guaranteed the chorus will be stuck in your head for days.
Ashnikko pays homage to two “classics” in DemiDevil, the first being “Deal With It.” It is a self-empowering song that features and samples Kelis‘ “Caught Out There.” “Deal With It” is very upbeat and a great hype single.
“My tentacle break-up fantasy brought to life. And having a sample of Kelis’ “Caught Out There” is an actual dream come true. My childhood musical hero.”
Ashnikko on her song “Deal With It“
The second referential single is “L8r Boi,” which is an explicit response to Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.” It is faithful to the original melody and that’s as far as it goes. It’s from the women’s perspective where she discusses her success, the “sk8er boi’s” shortcomings, and the coming to self-love.
“He was a skater boy// She said, “See you later, boy”//He wasn’t good enough for her //She’s not a therapist, don’t wanna take care of him//She’s an independent girl //Ha, uh, huh //Me and my bxtches //We have way more fun without it //Fxck all your fairytales//Shout it from the tallest mountain //Where she’s in love with her damn self, yeah, yeah //Don’t let it fxck with your mental health, yeah, yeah.”
“L8r Boi” by Ashnikko
Ashnikko is not afraid to express that she desires to be pleasured, and that she is often disappointed by her counterparts. “Clitoris! The Musical” unabashedly expressed her sexual adventures with men to the backdrop of a pounding piano. It’s very theatrical. It’s another crude number, but what else can you expect from “Clitoris! The Musical?“
That same humor is seen throughout the album with her funny, snarky one liners. DemiDevil is a great collection added to Ashnikko’s belt. The album has several memorable and catchy choruses, but she also shows moments of sensitivity with “Cry” and “Good While It Lasted.” She’s as she said in her song “Cry,” “a tough bitch, but she’s sensitive.”
Recommended Songs
“Daisy,” “Toxic,” “Deal With It,” “L8r Boi,” and “Good While It Lasted.”
Stream DemiDevil here:
