Photo: Sasha Alex Sloan via sadgirlssloan.com
Sasha Alex Sloan has outdone herself once more with her highly anticipated third album, Me Again. The album contains 13 tracks that delve deeper into the singer’s mental health and insecurities more than she has ever gone before. Anyone who has listened to Sloan previously knows the multi-talented artist is no stranger to vulnerability through her music. So, when she announced the theme of this record, fans knew they were in store for gut-wrenching tracks. Me Again touches on complex topics, from themes of heartbreak, addiction, loss, insecurities, and mental health issues. While expressing her own experiences, Sloan becomes a voice for the voiceless, providing them comfort in their times of darkness.
Track List
Me Again
Cowboys Cry
Kids
Glad You Did
Oxygen Mask
Highlights
Falling Out Of Like (feat. Ruston Kelley)
Tiny’s Song (demo)
Deep
Only You Can
Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry
Good Enough
Picked First
Sasha Alex Sloan is an American indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her music is a flawless blend of pop, acoustic-folk, and alternative. She made her debut in 2017 with her single, “Ready Yet”. The following year she released her first EP, Sad Girl. After two more EPs, she released her debut full-length album, Only Child, in 2020. She received critical acclaim for the project, earning praise from industry tastemakers. In 2022, she released her sophomore album, I Blame The World. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to work with musicians from multiple genres and backgrounds. Sloan has collaborated with several iconic artists, such as Kygo, Charlie Puth, Sam Hunt, and G-Eazy. She also has significant songwriting credits for artists including Katy Perry, PINK, Charli XCX, and Camila Cabello. Sloan continues to make significant waves in the music industry, continuously impressing audiences with her insightful lyricism and heavenly vocals. Follow her on all social media to keep updated with any new music and potential tour announcements!
Me Again
Sloan opens her album with her heart-wrenching title track and the second single, immediately immersing the listener into the overarching themes of the album. “Me Again” explores the singer’s desire to return to her former self— the person she was before depression entered her life and altered her personality. Throughout the song, Sloan’s stunning voice guides the listener through her experience and the things that she wants to love again. Even everyday activities as mundane as brushing her hair or going outside. Her introspective lyrics eloquently express how it feels to struggle with depression, wishing and hoping that one day you will be okay. With her soft, subtle instrumentation, she focuses on the emotional message. “Me Again” sets the stage for the emotionally vulnerable album.
Cowboys Cry
“Cowboys Cry” was one of the songs that caught my eye initially when the track list was announced. Me Again was written and produced in Nashville, and Sloan has an extensive history working with country musicians, as recently as Tenille Arts, Ryan Hurd, and even Ruston Kelly on this album's 7th track. This new record contains songs that show influence from this genre, and the second track gives listeners the first taste of this soundscape. While maintaining the classic singer-songwriter vibe of Sloan, “Cowboys Cry” also contains a country-esque element, reminiscent of the whimsy sound of The Wreckers. The song details that even the toughest of people, even cowboys, reach their limits. And in the end, it is okay for them to shed a few tears. This reminds listeners that everyone has hard days and crying is only natural.
Kids
“Kids” is a bittersweet track that illustrates the unconditional love and support between parents and their children. The song is about children growing into adults and taking over as the role of a caregiver. The lyric, “I remember when your dad got sick, wasn’t a mountain that you wouldn’t move,” introduces the listener to this touching notion. In the first chorus, Sloan sings, “One day I’ll take care of you, like you took care of him.” This changes throughout the song, where the second chorus switches to “One day I’ll take care of you like you took care of me.” Then the final chorus, Sloan prefaces it with the bridge saying if she ever has kids then she hopes that, “Someday they’ll take care of me, like I’ll take care of them.” These altered lyrics represent the everchanging circle of life. At the end of each chorus, the hook remains the same “One day before we know it, parents become the kids.” Through her wise, reflective lyrics, Sloan reminds listeners, and herself, to cherish their loved ones while they still can. “Kids” is another excellent example of the singer’s remarkable songwriting, instantly becoming one of my favorite tracks.
Glad You Did
“Glad You Did” was another single released before the album, giving listeners an insight into the candid lyricism. Throughout the melancholic ballad, Sloan illustrates her desperation for a loved one to leave a toxic relationship. She kicks off the track with the lyrics, “Dysfunction has a way of hiding itself when it’s sitting right next to you on the couch.” She continues to describe the unhealthy behaviors and how this person has turned her loved one into someone she does not recognize. The second verse juxtaposes this with the line: “Dysfunction has a way of showing itself when you’re looking in on somebody else.” Often times people cannot see that they are stuck in a toxic, or even abusive, relationship when they are in it. It takes someone else telling them or looking at it themselves in retrospect to recognize this. Sloan pleads to their friend, or family member, to leave. It may be hard now, but one day they will be glad they did. The soft production maintains the classic Sloan soundscape while showcasing another side of the multifaceted artist.
Oxygen Mask
Sloan utilizes mesmerizing indie-rock instrumentation to lull her listener into “Oxygen Mask”. Alongside her compelling vocals and production, the song quickly rose to the top of my album ranking. The song details a relationship where her partner has no regard for their own feelings. They are “all give and no take.” In the pre-chorus, she tells them: “Yeah, you know I love you more than anyone else, but it’s hard for me to love you when you won’t love yourself.” She wants them to put themselves first when they can, because if they don’t then “We’re just gonna burn if you don’t put your oxygen mask on first.” Anyone who flies knows this means the only way to help those around you is to ensure you have been helped first. In the moment of crisis, put your own mask on before putting it on children, the elderly, or the disabled. She loves them no matter what and she can put her own mask on, so she implores them to take care of themself before they kill themselves trying to keep her alive. It is a sweet sentiment that she will still love them even when they put their needs first.
Highlights
The lead single of Me Again broke my heart the first time I heard it and continues to break my heart even more after each new listen. She teased the song on her social media first, with the gut-wrenching pre-chorus lyrics, “I’m not angry anymore for what you did, but who does that to a kid?” The song exposes a loved one, specifically a parent, who continuously has let her down since she was a child. They were only ever present when life was going well and they could bask in Sloan’s spotlight. But when life takes a sharp turn or when the singer needs someone to lean on, they are nowhere to be found. At the end of the chorus, she reveals the devastating hook: “Sometimes it feels like you only love me for the highlights.” Writing this track was a cathartic release for the singer, and now the track serves as a constant comfort for listeners who resonate with the vulnerable lyrics.
Falling Out Of Like (feat. Ruston Kelly)
Sloan always nails it with her collaborations and “Falling Out Of Like” is no exception. Featuring country music artist, Ruston Kelly, the only duet on the album flawlessly blends the two artists’ voices to form a mesmerizing break-up ballad. The song explores the inevitable end of a relationship. One that slowly fades over time until the couple realizes they have reached their expiration date. Throughout the song, the two singers never say “falling out of like.” However, the narrative cleverly illustrates this process and the stages they have undergone before they reached this point. At the end of the chorus, they sing: “I’ll always love you, but I don’t like you anymore.” The couple admits they don’t get along like they used to and they no longer have anything in common— or perhaps they never truly did. It is a slow burn of a heartbreak that may hurt even more than the sudden shock of an ending. With the poetic songwriting and stunning harmonies, “Falling Out Of Like” instantly became a top favorite.
Tiny’s Song (demo)
There is only one song on the album that, despite its immaculate songwriting, I don’t think I could bring myself to listen to again. “Tiny’s Song (demo)” is a beautiful track with poignant lyrics that share the story of losing a pet that has gone missing. Throughout the song, the artist delves into her experience with this. She describes the devastation of losing her dog, wondering where they have gone and if they will ever return. This is a heartbreak that is harder than most—while you mourn the loss of your furry friend, you hope they were found by a loving family but ignore the fear in the back of your mind. Listening to this song shattered my heart as I recall experiences where my pets had run off (fortunately returned) or when friends had lost their loving animals. Like a Sarah McLachlan commercial, I appreciate the sentiment but my heart can only take so much sorrow.
Deep
“Deep” is a very tongue-in-cheek track where Sloan is speaking to a melodramatic muse. This person allows the smallest inconveniences to turn into complete disasters. She shares examples of this ruining their entire week, such as their favorite band skipping their favorite song at their show or a bad haircut. In the chorus, she uses the popular idioms, “So don't go cryin' over spilt milk” and “Or makin' mountains out of molehills,” to convey the absurdity of the subject’s flair for the dramatics. At the end of the chorus, she sings: “Take it from me// It’s not that deep.” With the hook, she indicates that she’s not speaking from a place of annoyance or impatience. But perhaps, from a place of relatability. The artist may have once blew everything out of proportion herself and now she is using her experience as a cautionary tale. Either way, her lyrics remind listeners to not take life so seriously and in the end, nothing is ever that deep.
Only You Can
Sloan shares another deeply vulnerable and heartbreaking narrative. “Only You Can” is about watching a loved one fall deep into the cycle of addiction. Every time they tell Sloan they’ve quit drinking, she wishes to believe them. But in the end, they are always dragged back under. The singer is at her wit's end, unable to help her loved one. In the pre-chorus, she tells them: “I'll keep rollin' up my sleeves// But you made a mess that I can't clean.” She will keep trying in vain because of how much she cares. But she knows she can’t force them to stop— only they can. In the bridge, she tells them that, no matter what, she will always offer them a shoulder the cry on. If they need a reason to “hold on” to their life, she is right there, ready to support them once they pull themselves out. “Only You Can” is a bittersweet ode to a loved one, expressing worry for their well-being while reassuring them she will always be there.
Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry
Sloan maintains the melancholic atmosphere with the grim storyline of “Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry”. She exposes the truth about her morbid attitudes. Rather than it showing her lack of tact, it is actually a defense mechanism to deflect from her intense fears. In the first verse she sings, “When I drive past a graveyard// I still hold my breath// I guess on some level// The thought of what's next makes my stomach hurt// When I get like that// I don't know where to go with it// So I just say something inappropriate, Like, ‘Must be nice to skip work.’” This immediately propels the listener into Sloan’s mindset and the topic of the song. As someone with a natural inclination to the macabre and a crippling fear of losing loved ones, I feel personally attached to this song. She continues into the chorus describing her inappropriate morbid jokes as a guard from the truth: If she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry. The honest lyrics and stunning instrumentation are the epitome of the Sasha Alex Sloan that longtime fans fell in love with.
Good Enough
Sloan has a history of writing gut-wrenching tracks about mental health and self-image issues. My favorite song of hers is “House With No Mirrors” (which she added to her setlist the night of my show on her last tour and I’m still in shock!). This previous track shares her experience with self-loathing and insecurities. Meanwhile, “Good Enough” appears to be from an outsider’s perspective sharing the devastating experience of a woman suffering from an eating disorder. She finds it impossible to view herself in the way everyone else does, convinced they are lying to spare her feelings. She shares that the woman continues to “pop back another pill” and “skip another meal,” always intending to stop. But then the lyrics repeat, and the cycle never ends because she feels she is “never good enough.” After the bridge, she flips the script by going from third-person narrative to first. Sloan reveals that she is the woman in the story. This switch leaves listeners’ jaws on the floor, showcasing once again her clever and creative songwriting.
Picked First
“Picked First” is another song that is difficult to listen to due to its devastating storyline. Sloan shares the story of a loved one that passed on too soon. She begins the song with the detailed imagery of the singer rushing to catch the first plane home, checking in with the front desk, presumably of a hospital, and spending time with the subject while she still could. Throughout the song, the lyrics illustrate the overwhelming grief that still consumes Sloan. In the chorus, she tells her muse that she misses them all the time and wishes they’d never said goodbye before revealing the poetic hook. Sloan sings, “Like daisies in the dirt// The most beautiful flowers always get picked first.” This touching sentiment tugs on the heartstrings of listeners and provides them a sense of comfort as they relate the lyrics to their own mourning. With the soft instrumentation and her profound yet heart-shattering lyrics, Sloan has once again proven her outstanding talent and ability to turn her own experiences into relatable tracks for fans.
After only my first listen, Me Again had already become one of my favorite albums of the year, perhaps of all time. Sloan’s stunning voice and introspective lyricism sets her apart from similar artists of the genre. She poetically details her own experiences while simultaneously providing relatable tracks for her listeners. My love of Sloan bloomed from the moment I heard her previous track, “When Was It Over? Feat. Sam Hunt” and only grew over time. After seeing her live in 2022 and following her journey over the years, Sloan had easily transformed into one of my favorite artists. Me Again was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 and it was well worth the wait. Anyone who listens to the flawless album knows exactly why she is a sought-after collaborator and songwriter. Her talent shines through in everything she lays her hand on, proving she deserves to be one of the industry’s biggest artists of all time.
Written By Karlee Skipper
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