Samia on how Fiona Apple, Björk, Mitski, Doechii & more influenced her new LP ‘Bloodless’

Samia has never shied away from embracing vulnerability in her music — Honey‘s “Breathing Song” dealt with sexual assault and a miscarriage — and in naming Doechii’s video for “Crazy” as an influence on Bloodless, her new album out today, she pointed out the way it uses “nudity as a tool for expressing vulnerability or humanness or anger or pain separately from the context of sex.” From the almost-taunt of “wanna see what’s under these Levis, I got nothing under these Levis” on “Pants,” to passing out naked in a pool in “Sacred,” nudity is a frequent motif in these songs, as is blood. Paired with hyperspecific references throughout (Diet Dr. Pepper, a Nikon Coolpix), it makes for some of Samia’s most personal and powerful material yet. It’s also some of her most musically varied. After the pop-forward Honey, she embraced influences that range from Fiona Apple, Björk, and Mitski to Morphine this time around, to major effect. “Carousel” and “North Poles” both build from gentle folk to huge, majestic endings, with “Carousel” in particular spiraling into almost post-rock heaviness. Three albums into her career, Bloodless feels like a major level up for Samia, with songs that have both immediate appeal and layers of meaning to uncover.

To celebrate the release of Bloodless, Samia told us about those aforementioned influences and a few more. Read her picks and commentary and stream the album below.

Bloodless by Samia

SAMIA’S BLOODLESS INFLUENCES

Morphine – “In Spite of Me”
We used this Morphine album as a reference for the way the whole album should feel – acquiescent, strong, piercing, floating. I love the attitude of the lyrics here – there’s obviously a little bit of irony but the sentiment seems genuine: I can be happy for you without being a part of it.

Fiona Apple – “Limp”
The idea of someone wanting to make you sick and then lick your wounds deeply resonates with me. The way her piano playing gets more aggressive as the song builds feels like mounting frustration. She’s the best songwriter on the planet. “You fondle my trigger then blame my gun” and the brilliance of turning a limp dick into a potent metaphor for making someone realize they were the one who needed you.

Happyness – “Naked Patients”
This is the most romantic song in the world to me. “There’s something so funny about you when you’re bloody, there’s something so funny about you.” There’s so much grotesque honesty in the human body and to me there’s no greater form of connection than meeting each other on that level. “I fell asleep with your stomach talking to me.” This song is my Pony by Ginuwine.

Lucinda Williams – “I Lost It”
Perfect combination of emotive and exhausted – this song is as empowering as it is devastating; the whole album is. Her voice has this incredible texture that sounds like it’s been through exactly what she’s singing about. I love “let me know” – back to that strong but acquiescent thing. I think her voice is the greatest of all time and this album just sounds so good.

Björk – “Hyperballad”
How did she come up with the idea that in order to feel fulfilled by a mundane lifestyle you have to wake up every morning before your partner and throw things off a cliff and picture your body following suit? Imagine writing this song. I love all Bjork’s music but this in particular epitomizes the thing I think she’s the master of – being honest, hilarious, shocking and familiar all at the same time.

Mavi – “Sense”
Probably my favorite living lyricist – he rhymes knee aches with STEEP GAIT on this song. My jaw hung open the entire first time I heard this. I had to listen thirty times. It’s the best wordplay you’ve ever heard for the first minute and then he goes “what kind of songs you make? I make the kind you gotta read, baby.” I think I pissed my pants. “I leave the silence you can see, baby.”

Mitski – “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?”
It’s hard to choose just one song from Be The Cowboy – but this chorus riff makes me want to catapult into space every time. The guitar makes everything feel like it’s on the precipice of explosion – and just idea of being like hey I know this is all my fault but can you fix it? Her voice is so clear and beautiful on this one too. This album soundtracked the most eventful few years of my life. It always takes me back.

Doechii – “Crazy”
This music video is one of my favorite pieces of art ever. She’s such a versatile artist in every way – the things she’s able to do with her voice and the sheer power of her delivery. The video sort of gives me a similar feeling to Naked Patients – I using nudity as a tool for expressing vulnerability or humanness or anger or pain separately from the context of sex.

Arthur Russell – “I Couldn’t Say it to Your Face”
This is the most heartbreaking song – Arthur Russell is so soft for being so direct and the song is so gentle, ethereal and gorgeous. Sounds like he’s singing from another dimension. His whole catalogue was a major sonic inspiration on my album.

Neil Young – “Unknown Legend”
I was listening to a lot of classic songs about women while writing Bloodless, and this one stood out. Neil Young has a penchant for writing beautiful, timeless songs about mysterious and vaguely described women so I wanted to try writing from the perspective of the Unknown Legend, this muse that can be anything because she’s nowhere – a position as infuriating as it is powerful. This is not to knock Neil Young, one of the most important songwriters of all time, I just thought it’d be a fun experiment.

Samia begins her tour tonight, and she’ll be in NYC for a show at Brooklyn Steel on May 30 with Raffaella and Hank Heaven. See all dates below.

SAMIA: 2025 TOUR DATES
Apr 25, 2025 Resident Music Brighton and Hove, UK
Apr 26, 2025 Rough Trade Bristol Bristol, UK
Apr 28, 2025 Rough Trade Liverpool Liverpool, UK
Apr 29, 2025 Jumbo Records Leeds, UK
Apr 30, 2025 Rough Trade Nottingham Nottingham, UK
May 1, 2025 Rough Trade East London, UK
May 1, 2025 Rough Trade East London, UK
May 20, 2025 Portland House of Music and Events Portland, ME
May 21, 2025 Citizens House of Blues Boston Boston, MA
May 22, 2025 Academy of Music Theatre Northampton, MA
May 24, 2025 The Opera House Toronto, ON
May 25, 2025 Le Studio TD Montreal, QC
May 26, 2025 Higher Ground South Burlington, VT
May 28, 2025 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
May 30, 2025 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY
May 31, 2025 9:30 Club Washington, D.C.
Jun 2, 2025 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
Jun 3, 2025 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
Jun 5, 2025 Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
Jun 6, 2025 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
Jun 7, 2025 The Truman Kansas City, MO
Sep 8, 2025 Terminal West Atlanta, GA
Sep 9, 2025 Saturn Birmingham, AL
Sep 11, 2025 The Echo Lounge & Music Hall Dallas, TX
Sep 12, 2025 Scoot Inn Austin, TX
Sep 13, 2025 The Heights Theater Houston, TX
Sep 16, 2025 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
Sep 17, 2025 Music Box San Diego, CA
Sep 19, 2025 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Sep 20, 2025 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Sep 22, 2025 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
Sep 23, 2025 Hollywood Theatre Vancouver, BC
Sep 24, 2025 Neptune Theatre Seattle, WA
Sep 26, 2025 Soundwell Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 27, 2025 Gothic Theatre Englewood, CO
Sep 29, 2025 The Waiting Room Lounge Omaha, NE
Sep 30, 2025 Delmar Hall St. Louis, MO
Oct 1, 2025 Brooklyn Bowl Nashville Nashville, TN