Pop disruptor Ashnikko releases their playfully defiant single “Sticky Fingers” alongside its official visualizer. The track follows “Itty Bitty” and “Trinkets” as the next glimpse into Ashnikko’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Smoochies, set for release on October 17th via Parlophone/Warner Records.
“Sticky Fingers” catches Ashnikko at her most audacious, blending playful bravado with unapologetic self-assurance. Towering over men, she steps out of her truck in ‘itty bitty little shorts that floss my butt crack,’ cotton-candy Pleasers, a rhinestone belt, and blue raspberry hair—an image of power and affirmation.
On “Sticky Fingers”, Ashnikko shares: “we have a very finite time on this earth, and i would rather spend my time investing in my friends and new skills and going on adventures, than being with someone (especially a man) who doesn’t love me how i love me. get your sticky cheeto dust hands off me!!”
Ashnikko’s second album, Smoochies, is her most personal body of work to date. Following 2023’s debut WEEDKILLER, sonically it expands Ash’s distinct hybrid-pop sound while taking a significantly more autobiographical approach to lyrics. The 15-track album is a rebellious one, made from a place of radical joy at a time when the world has never felt more threatening for femmes and marginalized communities. In response, Ashnikko is taking up space by inhabiting a state of pure play. It’s absurd and grotesque, explicit and tender, sexy without an ounce of desire to perform for the male gaze.
On Smoochies, Ashnikko says: “Smoochies feels like Demidevil’s older sister. It’s sexy, playful, and feminine, while toeing the line of grotesque and absurd. I feel like purse sediment so much of the time – like a mess of crumbs and gum in receipts and lipgloss that I’ve forgotten about – so the album feels like that too. This is the first where I’ve written very autobiographically, but at the core of it all is personal autonomy and joyful whimsy.”
Ashnikko will be treating fans to special editions of the vinyl record, including an exclusive Urban Outfitters Black Ice vinyl for US fans. Pre-orders are available HERE.