Ashnikko’s debut mixtape DEMIDEVIL has finally arrived after a landmark year for the American genre-tripper. She carried on her 2019 TikTok success with Stupid while also nabbing a new hit in Daisy which has become her biggest song to date.

DEMIDEVIL is promising to bring the same energy as Daisy, fusing together punk, pop and trap while showing off a personality that’s relentless, triumphant and unreserved. Here, we take a trip together through what’s sure to be one of the most surprising debuts of the year. 

Daisy

“Fuck a princess, I’m a king.”

We kick off the mixtape with the song that has been dominating streaming for the last few months. Daisy maximises Ashnikko’s classic cross-section between punk rock and trap. It’s a twisted, hard-hitting cut that lets us know immediately that Ashnikko is not here to take any shit. It’s her first top 40 hit in the UK and surely a sign of much more to come. 

Toxic

“You can’t stand to see me shine, better buy a visor.”

You get the feeling that Ashnikko isn’t going to give us a second to breathe on this EP and we’re okay with that. Toxic is another middle-finger anthem that puts the haters in their place. She effortlessly moves between singing and rapping over Slinger’s demonic, rumbling beat. 

Deal With It (Feat. Kelis)

“I don’t have the time to pretend you’re funny.”

Deal With It dropped just ahead of the mixtape and it’s likely to be the next Ashnikko song taking over the charts. The track samples Kelis’ 1999 track Caught Out There, twisting the hook into the prelude for an anthemic chorus. Once again, Ashnikko is taking the control, matching the raucous energy of Kelis’ iconic hook. Her consistent collaborator Slinger is back on board here alongside Andrew Goldstein who has produced tracks for Blackbear, Linkin Park, Simple Plan, and more. 

Slumber Party (Feat. Princess Nokia)

“I’m a slave for you baby, Miss Britney Spears.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Ashnikko is the way she effortlessly flicks between rap and punk. Here she sits more in the former recruiting Princess Nokia for a weird and wonky cut with one of the most minimal beats on the record. Nelly, Britney Spears and Christina Millian all get a shout out from Nokia on this instantly likable track. Given how easily Nokia can traverse different genres, we should’ve seen this collab coming. 

Drunk With My Friends

“Head is so good that you cry.”

Drunk With My Friends sounds like exactly that. It’s a woozy, distorting track with an off-kilter, auto-tuned vocal performance from Ashnikko. It’s an example of just how experimental she can get while still retaining her melodic chops which come through strong on this. It’s produced by Oscar Scheller who has worked with Charli XCX, Lily Allen, Mae Muller, and more in the past.  

Little Boy

“Women hold the weight of the world but you still talk down and call me little girl.”

Ashnikko is back with Scheller on Little Boy but it’s a much different song from its predecessor. She’s back on her bullshit with the middle-finger attitude that dominated the front of the record. The beat circles like a demonic nursery rhyme as Ashnikko gives some hard truths like, “women hold the wait of the world but you still talk down and call me little girl.” Some of the most potent lyrics on the whole mixtape sit on Little Boy. 

Cry (Feat. Grimes)

“Could a quick fuck be a sedative?”

Cry is one of three songs that were released before the mixtape dropped. It’s one of the most powerful songs on the album with Ashnikko giving a relentless vocal performance in the chorus. That is juxtaposed by Grimes’ soft, washy verse that adds a haunting atmosphere to the song. In the context of the record, it’s a real centrepiece - an emotional and powerful display from Ashnikko. 

L8r Boi

“He didn’t try to make her cum, on top of all that he was a little dumb.”

Even with a title like L8r Boi we weren’t expecting an explicit cover of Avril Lavigne’s Sk8r Boi. The melody remains mostly intact here but Slinger and Goldstein lay on the guitars and trap beats while Ashnikko runs all over the beat with some spectacular lyrics. “She’s not a therapist, don’t wanna take care of him, she’s an independent girl,” she sings, trading out Lavigne’s lyrics. Taking on a classic like this really shouldn’t work but Ashnikko has the charisma to pull it off. 

Good While It Lasted

“This is so small in the big simulation, in the grand scheme of things.”

L8r Boi was unexpected but Good While It Lasted is for different reasons. It’s a ballad that brings together country and trap influences for a surprisingly vulnerable moment. Ashnikko so often has her armor on throughout DEMIDEVIL but Good While It Lasted sees her tap into something more gentle. “Forgive me for the nasty things I say when I’m wounded,” she sings, really letting her walls down. 

Clitoris! The Musical!

“I’ve got double the nerve endings than your pee pee.”

By far the most bonkers songs on the album but while Clitoris! The Musical! Is short, we’re ready to commission it for Broadway. If men weren’t already wounded from this record, she really sticks the knife in her over a perky piano line. “I’ve got double the nerve endings than your pee pee,” she sings by declaring she’s bored of her, “cis-gender, heterosexual man.” An appropriate ending to the wild trip that is DEMIDEVIL.