Bloodless

Samia

Released on 4/25/25 by Grand Jury Music
Main artists: Samia
Genre: Alternative & Indie
Distinctions: NME: 5 stars

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Think about how many albums are written and recorded each year—and how impossible it is for songwriters to find truly unique inspiration. But Samia has managed to dig deep and resurface with an origin story you probably haven't heard before: Her third album draws from an unexplained phenomena of cattle mutilation, in which organs are taken from cows without a drop of blood spilled. The single "Bovine Excision," she has said, employs it "as a metaphor for self-extraction—this clinical pursuit of emptiness." But Samia's not just hungry for a stress-free, Severance-like life, and delectably mixes metaphors in her pursuit of, she has said, her attempt to unravel the conflation of "an abstract idea of men with my understanding of God." "I felt the pea/ Can I eat it?" she sings, completely trashing the fairy-tale princess convention of perfection and delicate femininity. All the while, there is light and real life in her voice, as if she is truly nourished by the thought of reinvention on her own terms. The study of how to do that is compelling. "I got no shortage of brilliance/ If you can catch me in clear cup," Samia sings on "Fair Game"—a steel guitar away from being a country song—comparing herself to a cute little helpless "sun bug" before switching that perspective to that of a destructive "drill bug": "I suck hard/ Is it hickey, is it trump card? … You won't get your blood back."

Samia takes responsibility for her disappointing circumstances on gently burbling "Hole in a Frame" ("There I am where I should not be/ Obviously, I bought the ticket and took the ride"), which she has said is about a fascination with disappearing. Despite that, these are not songs from a wallflower's perspective, nor are they hushed or weak. "Spine Oil," in particular, applies a light but not gentle touch. "North Poles" runs at a colt's gallop. "Pants" borrows the Liz Phair idea of angel and harlot, shimmering and shining as Samia asks, with a wink, "Wanna see what's under these Levis?/ I got nothin' under these Levis." And "Craziest Person"—"The craziest person in the room/ Makes me the second craziest person in the room"—builds up steam for a minute before abruptly cutting off, as if she's smartly abandoned the notion of self-infliction. Bloodless is produced by Chicago's Dave Trumfio, and he brings some of the air and warmth employed on Wilco's Summerteeth, which he co-engineered. There's a rich '70s AOR studio feel to songs like "Lizard," on which each kick of the drum is like a defibrillation, and the chiming Americana of "Sacred." "Carousel" spans from choir-girl innocence to something outwardly stronger; hold tight once the guitars start to rage and pound, then Samia opens up like a banshee for a second. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Bloodless

Samia

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