By: Beverly Stinson
‘Weedkiller’ is the third released album by the popular singer Ashnikko. Though it is her 3rd album it is also her debut album. Along with this album she also has the ‘Weedkiller’ tour, which is her second tour.
This album really represents her and her character, the songs really hit deep especially for those who have a lot of anger built up.
I am going give my honest review on (maybe) every song on the album.
NOTE: Before I begin I’d like to give a trigger warning for some explicit lyrics, before each song I will give the exact triggers having to do with the specific song.
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Song #1: World Eater
Warnings: violence, guns
“World Eater” is the first song on the album, and it is my fifth favorite song on it. I like to imagine that the song is an attack on the usage of AI, which I heavily encourage with all the talk about AI taking people’s art and even jobs.
I truly believe that no type of AI can make music with this much feeling or lyricism. And she really shows this; she always gives her heart into the music she makes and that’s one of the things I love about her and this album.
I really do love her lyrics, and I feel like it’s better to say that with artists that write their own, because nowadays a lot of people just buy lyrics instead of making their own. It’s something I can applaud her for.
I love this song mainly because of the music choice, with this song and others on the album she really makes it sound sorta dystopian or cyberpunk if that makes sense, I hope she continues with that sort of style on future songs. 7/10
Song #2: You Make Me Sick!
Warnings: profanity, violence, mentions of drug use and sexual acts.
YMMS music video (Contains flashing lights)
This was the first song released as a single and I cannot express how much I love this song. This was this opening song at her concert at The Fillmore (that I went to), and I’m so happy it was because it’s such a good heart racer. It was the perfect song to start off her concert.
I believe Ash has had very toxic relationships in the past so some of her songs have to do with letting out her emotions from it. I really admire her for being able to write and sing about her trauma.
I’m gonna say this a lot but, she creates songs that I feel are the embodiment of feminine rage and empowerment, she has so many songs that give this vibe, not just in this album but in other albums like ‘Demidevil’ and ‘Hi it’s Me’.
Definitely a favorite. 10/10
Song #3: Worms
Warnings: profanity, bones breaking?
Worms music video (Might have suggestive scenes?)
“Worms” is my 4th favorite song on here and I didn’t have that great of a reaction to it at first but after hearing it live it really stuck to me, especially with the worms story that was told before the song was played, which is one of the many stories that she created for the concerts. This song was also the second song released as a single for the album promotion.
I do like this song but I think she could’ve done better with the lyrics for this one. I feel like they’re really basic compared to others. But other than that, I really relate to it, you know seeing how the world is actually burning and wanting to change yourself. It’s something that a lot of people can relate to and I think that’s something important to have in a song.
She’s really real for this one. She mentions the thought of sabotaging yourself and kind of loving it and that’s something a lot of people go through without even knowing it and it’s nice to see it being mentioned because no one talks about it even though a lot of people sabotage themselves; both on purpose and on accident.
Something I really love is that it was slightly inspired by the Nu-metal genre. Metal is my favorite genre of music so I love that she’s sorta dabbling in it.
Like I said though, she could’ve done better with the lyrics especially when you listen to the other songs on the album. 7/10
Song #4: Super Soaker
Warnings: sexual language
This one didn’t really get me for a bit, it took me longer to like it for some reason, but now even tho it’s not my top five it’s still a great song. And it’s actually one of her queer representation songs.
I really don’t know what to say, I have a lot of opinions about this song but it’s hard to express them with the subject. I will say that the music is really good, a lot of her songs have enchanting music and I like stuff like that because it gives my brain weird but good feelings.
I do love that she makes queer music and isn’t ashamed to; this song is something that people would listen to and be disgusted with simply because it’s queer. And I’m probably gonna mention this in two other songs because they are also queer/wlw songs. 8.5/10
Song #5: Don’t Look At It
Warnings: sexual language
This is again one of her queer/wlw songs. It’s really sexual, which I would actually like if she had more sentimental queer songs other than just one or a couple, but even so, it’s still a good song.
I don’t really know what else to say about this because I can’t really give commentary on the lyrics. I will say the music is kind of my favorite in this song though.
But anyway, my overall rating is a 7.5/10
Song #6: Cheerleader
Warnings: violence, sexual content?, profanity
“Cheerleader” is the sixth song on the album. This song instantly became popular especially with the music video.
It’s definitely an addictive song with both the lyrics and the music; the whole thing gives real creepy vibes.
This song is like hypnotizing and I honestly think that’s the point. The music video for it is very cult-like and it’s actually inspired by the movie ‘Midsommar’ which is a movie about a cult.
Something I really like though is the fact that real cheerleaders were hired for the video; a lot of people wouldn’t even think to do that and just get random dancers for it.
The music also gives me Blair Witch vibes but I don’t know why. I do honestly think there are no flaws with this song: I think it’s perfect. I really enjoy the excessive use of violence. 10/10
Song #7: Moonlight Magic
Warnings: suggestive language
Okay so, when I first listened to this album, this song was my FAVORITE. I listened to it dozens of times everyday for like 2-3 weeks. As of now it’s not my favorite but I still love it.
The music in this song really adds to the romance of it as it’s a love song but at the same time it has some dark tones to it. The lyrics are some of my favorite she’s ever written literally ever. I believe “Moonlight Magic” is another queer representation song even though it doesn’t really mention genders.
One criticism I have about this song is that it’s really short. Most of the songs on this album are short but this one specifically I feel like should be longer. Still, overall this is such a good song.
I hope it gets more attention because it really deserves it. 9.5/10
Song #8: Miss Nectarine
Warnings: some sexual language? Profanity, homophobia
Okay so, I’m a firm believer that this album, or just Ash in general doesn’t have any bad songs, but this song is the one song that didn’t speak to me as well as the other songs did.
So, this song is supposed to be a wlw song, about two girls learning about their identity and who they like. It mentions them not being safe in their homes because of homophobia and fear of rejection from their families, and this is a big deal for Ashnikko. When I saw her live, before she began the next song, she had this speech. In this speech she talked about how she grew up in a place where being LGBTQ+ wasn’t accepted or taught. So she wasn’t really able to figure out who she was until she was a teenager-adult.
This is actually a very important subject because lots of lesbians or wlw try to force themselves to like men by pretending having relations with a girl is gaining experience for eventual relations with men, and a lot of people don’t actually grow out of this because they never get out of the environment that’s making them believe they have to be with a man.
This is one of her more realistic songs. This may have been a true story but I really don’t know. Even so, she has probably experienced things like this like the “praying the gay away” part, as I’d say most queer people have experienced that.
Like I said, this song didn’t really stick to me more than every other song, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. 6/10
Song #9: Chokehold Cherry Python
Warnings: violence
Chokehold cherry python visualiser
Chokehold cherry python lyrics
“Chokehold Cherry Python” is my 3rd favorite song on the album, another one of the sorta violent type, but less violent than the others.
I love the music for this song. It goes from loud to soft and back to loud and I really like it when songs have that feature.
While this song is my third favorite I do think it has 3 flaws. 1 is that it’s a short song. I definitely think it should be longer than 2:19. 2, I wish there were more lyric variations. The last flaw I think this song has is that the lyrics are a little basic. I wish it was more complex or weird like some of the other songs.
But even though I believe it has those flaws, I still really love the song, and I honestly hope she makes similar ones in the future. 8/10
Song #10: Weedkiller
Warnings: profanity, violence
“Weedkiller” is the tenth song on the album. It was the 3rd and last song released as a single. It is one of the more aggressive songs on the album, starting off with the mention of lobotomies.
Ash talks a lot about violence in her songs and part of the reason was mentioned in her song “Panic Attacks in Paradise” which is a calm song but in one of the lyrics she talks about how she wrote some albums to let out aggression. Something I love is when people use music to let out their anger. I feel like aggressive songs have more heart to them.
Something else I love is when she mentions her being a part of nature, not as a human but as plant life or different animals, ect. She really has a natural vibe with a lot of her songs including this one.
I really feel like she’s able to write such strong lyrics, especially when it’s a loud or angry song. Then the music is also kinda machine-like (if that makes sense) and I really like it.
I seriously love this song so much, like I don’t think there’s any flaws in it (even though I think that about most of her songs, especially on this album). I think this is the perfect song to be the header of the album. 10/10
Song #11: Want it all
Warnings: Suggestive language?
“Want it All” is probably my least favorite on the album. I do really like it but it’s not one of the songs I’ll choose to listen to out of the others.
I honestly don’t have much to say about this song. The lyrics don’t really feel to me like the others except for the chorus. I guess I will say that the lyrics are more thought out like I like them to be.
I do love the music. I honestly like listening to the instrumental more than the actual song.
I don’t really know what would make me like this song more. I think I just have 50/50 feelings about it. I’ll probably grow to love it more though. 6/10
Song #12: Possession Of A Weapon
Warnings: sexual language
“Possession of a Weapon” was the 4th released single.
This is another one of the songs I don’t like very much and I honestly don’t even know why. It genuinely is a good song and I don’t think it has any flaws.
I do prefer the music over the lyrics though.
One thing I absolutely love about this song is the meaning. It was created after abortion rights were taken away. The line “how dare I have private desires” is to signify women feeling like they can’t have private bodily anatomy.
I love that she speaks on problems like this. It’s part of the reason she’s my favorite singer. I do definitely think I’ll like this song more in the future, just right now it’s not hitting too hard. 6.5/10
Song #13: Dying Star
“Dying Star” is by far my favorite song not only on ‘Weedkiller’ but it’s my favorite song by Ash.
This song is another queer song and it’s a song that Ash herself said means a lot to her, and I think that’s part of the reason it’s my favorite Also, because both the lyrics and music are amazing.
This song can be seen in two different ways but the way most see it as well as Ashnikko is her or “Aster” fleeing from a planet that is said to be abusive and toxic and arriving on a new planet where it’s perfect and where she’s loved and cared for and Ash or “Aster” is said to be a dying star.
The vocals in this song are some of Ash’s best. It really adds to the emotion and I feel like it makes you feel the hurt she went through when she was young. I really love that this is the longest song on the album at 4:16. It’s great being able to indulge in it for a longer time than the others.
I think this is gonna stay my favorite for a while, understandably so. 100/10
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So, my final overall review of ‘Weedkiller’ is a 10/10. It’s honestly my favorite album ever and I’m happy it is because I was so worried I wasn’t gonna like it.
I stopped listening to Ashnikko for a while but this reminded me of how much I love her and her music.
She definitely has gotten more heartfelt about her songs and I love that because more feeling in songs makes them better. All of the songs have so much emotion in them.
Even though most of the songs were really short I still love pretty much all of them and I’m sure the ones I don’t like as much I’ll get to love them one day.
I think I pretty much said the same things for every song but I kind of have the same opinions about all of them.
I really hope people like this album as much as I do because I really do love it; more than I can explain with words.
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That’s all I have. It was a lot, but I love giving my opinion on my favorite things like this.
Thank you for reading
- Beverly
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