The last few years have seen a wave of zeitgeist-grabbing artists united by an ‘anything goes’, genre-bending approach to making music, and nu-gen fireball Cassyette is one of its figureheads. Her blend of nu metal, emo and pop first caught fire on TikTok, where the Essex singer – real name Cassy Brooking – currently has a fervent following of over 1.2 million.
Already this year, she’s supported Bring Me The Horizon in arenas, co-written Bambie Thug’s Eurovision track, Doomsday Blue, and played in front of a packed Dogtooth tent at Download Fest. And now, after a mixtape and a stream of singles, she’s finally releasing her debut album.
Musically, This World Fucking Sucks is a reflection of Cassyette’s impulsive personality and her drive to create something genuinely fresh and unique. There’s never a dull moment, as songs veer between sound and genre, but it never makes for a disjointed or jarring listening experience. Sandwiched between Ipecac’s nu metal, industrial guitars, acid synths throw back to The Prodigy circa the early 90s – a nod to Cassyette’s previous life as an electronic DJ.
Sex Metal and Degenerette Nation are pure, booming techno. Elsewhere, power-pop anthem Friends In Low Places could be a Pink song led by Cassyette’s raspy belt. This is a record that looks to the past for inspiration but could only be released in 2024, and it feels like a vision for the future.
In nu gen, authenticity is everything, and beneath the bombastic choruses that pack out This World Fucking Sucks, she tackles relatable themes of substance abuse, empowerment and queer identity, while many of these songs attempt to make sense of grief.
Four Leaf Clover and When She Told Me were written following the death of her father and a spiral into drugs and alcohol. ‘Finding you in places I never expect,’ she sings on the former. ‘I swear I’ll to do my best to get sober.’ It’s emotional, cathartic and feels very real - just like Cassyette herself.
This World Fucking Sucks is out Aug 23 via 23 Recordings
