Weedkiller (album)

Weedkiller (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and rapper Ashnikko. It was released on August 25, 2023, through Parlophone and Warner Records.

The album has been supported by five singles; the lead single, "You Make Me Sick!", "Worms", "Weedkiller", "Possession of a Weapon" and "Cheerleader".

Background
Weedkiller follows Ashnikko's 2021 debut mixtape Demidevil. Ashnikko then headlined her first tour to support the mixtape. "Panic Attacks in Paradise" and "Maggots" were released on September 29, 2021, as a double single. It was supposed to be the lead single from her debut album, but that project was eventually scrapped. Ashnikko took a break from releasing music during 2021–2022 to work on her debut album.

On September 2, 2022, Ashnikko shared a link to Goga Sekulić's song "Sexy biznismen" (2006), dubbing it "album inspiration". On February 8, 2023, she released her new single "You Make Me Sick!" as the new lead single. She announced the release date, album cover, track list and world tour on March 1, 2023. On May 17, Ashnikko announced that their debut album was pushed back and would release on August 25 instead of June 2. This was due to her UK label being absolved.

Concept
The concept behind the album is described in press materials as being "a commentary on environmental disaster and the rapid evolution of technology" that tells "the story of a fae civilization occupied and destroyed by machines that feed on organic matter where the faerie protagonist seeks revenge by becoming part machine."

Singles
"You Make Me Sick!" replaced "Panic Attacks in Paradise" and "Maggots" as the lead singles from the album. The track was released as the new lead single on February 8, 2023, and a music video for the single was released on the same day.

"Worms" was released on March 2, 2023, as the album's second single. Its official music video was released on March 8. The song's style was described as "sunny pop". A month later, Ashnikko unveiled the song "Weedkiller", the title track from the album, returning to the post-industrial sound of "You Make Me Sick". The accompanying music video, filmed in Belgrade, was postponed for a week following the Belgrade school shooting.

On May 24, 2023, "Possession of a Weapon" was released as the fourth single from the album.

After previewing the song through her social media, Ashnikko announced "Cheerleader" as the fifth single for July 28.

Critical reception
Weedkiller received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, a website that aggregates reviews of music albums, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Otis Robinson of DIY writes that "Weedkiller is a funneling of rage – a quest to rediscover autonomy and cement identity - but despite the darkness is ridiculously fun, too. It's a triumphant debut – one that changes the game like a live wire in water." Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Elliot Burr describes the album as "a definitive project encapsulating body autonomy, queer love, humour and fury", and calls Ashnikko "a vocal chameleon whose performance stands out amongst the rich production traversing decaying foliage, fizzling suns and AI leaders." Alex Rigotti of NME wrote that "the boundary-smashing artist's songs refract themes of hope and survival through a multitude of moods and genres" and adds that "Weedkiller expertly weaves public and personal politics into an impressively captivating narrative for a debut.

In the review for the AllMusic, it was remarked that, "Ashnikko is part rage rapper, part feminist pop star, part disaffected rocker with emo-goth tendencies, but still somehow categorically none of the above."

Personnel
Musicians
 * Ashnikko – lead vocals (1–13)
 * Daniela Lalita – vocals (4), background vocals (12)
 * Dylan Brady - guitar (3)
 * Ethel Cain – vocals (13), guitar (13), piano (13)
 * Micah Jasper - drums (6), synthesizer (6)
 * Oscar Scheller – drums (6), synthesizer (12)
 * Slinger – bass guitar (1–5, 7–8, 10–11, 13), guitar (1–3, 7, 9–11, 13), drums (1–5, 7–11), synthesizer (1–5, 7–11)

Technical
 * Anthony Vilchis - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)
 * Chris Gehringer - masterer (1–3, 5–13)
 * Frank Colucci - mixer (13)
 * Manny Marroquin - mixer (3, 6)
 * Matt Glasbey - engineer (13)
 * Micah Jasper - engineer (6)
 * Oscar Scheller – mixer, (8, 12), engineer (6, 8, 12)
 * Slinger - mixer (1–2, 4–5, 7, 9–11), engineer (1–5, 7–11, 13)
 * Trey Station - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)
 * Zach Pereyra - engineering assistance, mixing assistance (3, 6)