Samia Takes Us on a “Carousel” Ride Before Her Next Album
Cover for Samia’s Carousel EP
The last time Samia released music was back in 2023, with her last two singles of that year being covers of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps” and Porches’ “Country”. These singles followed the release of her album Honey, which focused primarily on melancholia, with a wide variety of tracks—both upbeat and uplifting—paired with depressed and agonized lyrics. Samia has long been praised for the strength of her lyricism, and Honey was arguably the peak of her pen thus far, impressing critics while remaining deeply relatable to her listeners.
This begs the question: how will Samia’s next album, Bloodless, add to her legacy? Fortunately, listeners now have a total of five singles off the upcoming album, releasing on April 25, to prepare for the upcoming drop. These tracks include the first single, “Bovine Excision,” a second single released in February called “Lizard”, a double single released in March titled “Hole In a Frame/Pants,” and April’s “Carousel.” These five tracks make up the Carousel EP, released alongside the debut of “Carousel.”
“Carousel” is confirmed to be the tenth track of Bloodless, according to Genius. Unlike the predating singles, “Carousel” begins with acoustic guitar and almost whimsical vocals from Samia. While Samia is no stranger to using stripped-back instrumentals or lilting her voice, she tends to lean more on the rock spectrum of the indie scene than pop despite being described as both. This rockish side of Samia’s discography pops into “Carousel” shortly after the song passes the minute mark, with the bass making itself known alongside fuller percussion.
But as mentioned, Samia’s lyrics are her strong suit. The production of “Carousel” certainly creates a tilt-a-whirl experience, reminiscent of swooping into love. In a Substack article, Samia revealed that the central theme of Bloodless is creating an image of perfection by excavating and draining yourself. Though the lyrics of “Carousel” show the joys of being in love with lines like, Waving at friends/Throw back my head on a carousel ride, and Pretend to sleep in separate beds at Christmastime, the line I’ve been rubbing together bramble/I wanna hitch my fire to your candle can easily be tied to this central theme.
Rubbing together the thorny branches of bramble with bare hands strips away old and healthy skin in a violent manner. The pain caused by this process isn’t necessarily worth the end result, with scarred hands left in the wake of destruction. Combined with the line I wanna hitch my fire to your candle, it’s clear that the narrator of “Carousel” is changing themselves for their partner. Regardless of the happiness that may come from their relationship, this harmful shift in identity leaves the narrator a new person entirely.
Life moves in phases, like the ups and downs of a carousel. Samia’s take on the fairground classic translates the ride into an overly romanticized metaphor for codependency—and it’s a welcome prelude to her next album.
