Sassyhiya: Take You Somewhere – Album Review

Sassyhiya: Take You Somewhere

(Skep Wax)

All Formats Available

Available 8th November

Buy Here

South London quartet Sassyhiya release their debut album, Take You Somewhere via Skep Wax. 

Here at Louder Than War we like to have our finger on the pulse. Sassyhiya are an example of this, Tony Rounce whilst previewing 2023’s Loud Women Festival declaring, “If the Television Personalities had been a 60s soul band, they would definitely have been Southeast London’s splendid Sassyhiya. Lovely people with peppy, snappy songs, expect to go home with at least three or four earworms from their short stack of poptastic future classics”.

It would be almost a year (this July) before I’d became enlightened upon the release of lead single from the album, Kristen Stewart. The catchy fun song being an ode to the actress Kristen and her status as a queer icon/pin up. Bassist Helen explaining, “I wanted to do a song about her because I think she’s ace and makes great choices when it comes to roles. She’s grown up in the public eye and has still managed to become the person we absolutely hoped she would – someone proud of her queerness plus she’s really cool and fun.”

I was hooked, and had me wanting more, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Sassyhiya were formed when Helen and Kathy, real-life partners since 2011 and co-songwriters, joined up with Pablo and Neil (drums and guitar) having been in a been in several bands previously including Boys Forever, Basic Plumbing and the wonderfully named Barry. The PR says that “Sassyhiya feels like a culmination of all these elements, hitting the sweet spot between post-punk and indie pop.” What I really like are the harmonies, something which you can trace back to Helen and Kathy’s cover of The Carpenters, Close To You recorded during the pandemic for a Karen Carpenter tribute album.

Since then they released the Gum Demo EP in January 2022, which again was written, played, recorded, and mixed at their home in South London over lockdown, and followed this with the Live at Paper Dress Vintage EP recorded with and showcasing their settled line up with Pablo and Neil.

A few of the tracks on Take You Somewhere date back to those initial releases however have been re-recorded. The album opens with one of these, Boat Called Predator which
Kathy explains, “Was written while travelling through Scotland, near Skye. In the car we were passed by someone towing a boat with the name ‘Predator’. A lot of the woodland there is dominated by rhododendrons, an invasive species. It was weirdly jarring to see something so ornamental and domestic running rampant in the wild. I was thinking about living away from civilisation, living an itinerant life, and how that can be very freeing in a way because it makes you anonymous.”

Whilst the album’s title is Take You Somewhere, in reality it could be Take You Anywhere. After opening with a trip to Sky, and ode to Kirsten Stewart there is Crayon Potato, complete with handclaps, a tribute to Sassyhiya’s pet cat, who shares their South London flat. A clear example of one of the many earworms you’d be going home with if you get to see the band live (or just buy the record).

The jaunty titular track and whilst lyrically quite simple with added ‘woo hoo hoo’s’
mean you can almost imagine it being used for a Sunday teatime TV Holiday Show. Like any album, the more you listen the more you’re rewarded by it. One thing I’ve noticed are a few of the ‘influences’ which you could almost say are Easter Eggs, take Let’s See What We Can Find for one, whilst it’s Sassyhiya, there’s an unmistakable influence of Echo and the Bunnymen.

The closing You Can Give It (But You Can’t Take It) is and “anthem of defiance” against bullies. A strong way to finish a great debut with maybe unknowingly a nod to the Leeds based trio Nervous Twitch, especially in the chorus and theme of the track.

Whilst Take You Anywhere clocks in at just over 35 mins it’s enough time to leave you with a smile on your face and a couple of tracks that you’ll have rattling around your head for the next day at least…

RSVP Take You Somewhere Listening Party on 7th November

Tickets for the launch party on 8th November at The Cavendish Arms, Stockwell with support from Panic Pocket and the legendary Charlie Stone available here

Find Sassyhiya via their LinkTree

All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him on X (Twitter) as @iainkey