Samia Najimy Finnerty, known primarily by her stage name, ‘Samia,’ has spent the past 5 years ascending the ranks of indie notoriety. The Nashville-based singer/songwriter has her story weaving down to fine art, with contemporary rock and folk influences bleeding into her sophomore release, ‘honey.’
The album has moments of light, shade, and inescapable depth. Preceding singles like ‘Kill Her Freak Out’ and ‘Mad At Me’ laid the groundwork for the LP’s central themes: hurting, processing, and healing. These themes take many forms during ‘honey.’
Throughout the album, Samia’s lilting, heartbroken melodies are spun like silk atop subtle synths, and the intro guitars in ‘To Me, It Was’ are a remnant of a 70s esc harpsichord. This song is a necessary zoom out of the album’s unrelenting reflections, reminding the listener of the fleeting beauty of it all. “There might not be a second coming, but that doesn’t mean it was all for nothing.” It gently transitions into the album’s second half with a hand squeeze before letting us wander alone into track 7.
‘Breathing Song’ is the sister track to titular indie headbanger ‘honey’; the former brings unblinking catharsis as Samia invites us to share a genre of pain that many know all too well. The latter is reminiscent of old friends and self-acceptance. Samia has stated the two songs are “about the same thing” and draws from ideas that have been prevalent throughout her discography.
“I’m not scared to be naked; I’m not scared of anything.” This line stands out to me, almost like it’s a cry into her back catalog. ‘Fit N Full’ from her 2020 debut ‘The Baby’ has similar utterances; “if you want, I can take it off / and show you what my mama gave me.” In the years since then, Samia’s releases have only become more honest, with less desire to ask for permission.
Evolving before the adoring eyes of her fans, I, along with many others, can’t wait to sit with these songs. They are great at first glance and get progressively better the more I listen. Special mentions for ‘Nanana,’ a piece that somehow makes me wish it was still November, and ‘Dream Song.’
Listen to ‘honey’ here:
charlotte ryan
Charlotte is a musician and writer based in Liverpool, UK.
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