Provocative is one word to describe Ashnikko, but it doesn’t go far enough when it comes to ‘Smoochies’. The follow up to her 2023 debut ‘Weedkiller’ jettisons much of the conceptual narrative that defined its predecessor and instead finds the rapper embracing a more club-oriented sound alongside a gloves-off rejection of modern puritanism.
While pop has seen a recent resurgence of suggestive lyrics, ‘Smoochies’ is gleefully, deliriously raunchy as Ashnikko embraces sensuality and overt sexuality unapologetically. Take Full Frontal as one example, where she declares she wants to “sit on the DJ’s face, feel the beat through my puss.”
The thumping, industrial beats threaded throughout switch on a dime, following whiplash-inducing changes in mood.
Smoochie Girl, a swaying, mid-paced opener that pulls from early PC Music, describes falling hard for someone, while I Want My Boyfriends To Kiss demands the men fawning over her make out with each other for her entertainment.
Liquid finds Ashnikko playing with vocal styles, injecting hip-hop elements to a beat and melody that feels close to Rina Sawayama’s thundering STFU. On Trinket, she quips about having a lover she can hang from her purse, while on Microplastics she exclaims: “I want you in my body like microplastics.”
In taking a step back from the dystopian sci-fi world of ‘Weedkiller’, ‘Smoochies’ cuts much closer to the bone. It’s more intimate, despite those industrial influences, as it loops in country, Y2K hyperpop and even K-pop. The shock value is still there, but it feels like Ashnikko embracing part of herself. Raucous, confrontational and, most of all, extremely entertaining.
Ashnikko Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed February 11 2026 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Fri February 13 2026 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Sat February 14 2026 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Tue February 17 2026 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Thu February 19 2026 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Fri February 20 2026 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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