Sassy 009 have a fraught relationship with romance. The Norwegian electro-pop trio—Sunniva Lindgaard, Teodora Georgijevic, and Johanna Scheie Orellana, friends based in Oslo—demonstrates as much throughout Do You Mind, the group’s ethereal, often melancholic debut EP. They sing of being smitten and they sing of being hurt. They lament their suffering at the hands of a callous lover, then insist it’s all right; they urge someone close out the door, then two songs later agonize at the thought that he might leave. Joe Strummer wanted to know if he should stay or if he should go. Sassy 009 seem displeased with either option.
Over the brief course of its 16 minutes, Do You Mind describes the arc of a love affair in turbulent decline. It begins with “Summin’ You Up,” a striking introduction: Reverb rolls in like thunder and distortion churns like a storm cloud while blown-out, heavily treated vocals air bitter accusations. “You’re tearing me down/You’re tearing us down,” they sing, frostily. No matter the vitriol, Sassy 009 remain impassive, acerbic but cool. Indeed, they skewer the notion that heartache should move anyone to sorrow at all. “They show no remorse/There is no regret,” they intone after recounting a lover’s indifferent cruelty. “We’re equal now/Why the distress?”
Do You Mind is not a breakup record, even though many of its songs address the desire to break up. “Promise me that you’ll leave me one day,” the band sings, without feeling, on “Feel Me,” above muted synths and distant, echoing oohs and aahs in the style of early Grimes. “Embarrass me then turn it around/And say ‘It’s not me, it is you.’” And yet after that promise, Sassy 009 seem surprised to find the lover following through. “Are you leaving me now?” they ask on the following song, called, naturally, “Are You Leaving.” “Don’t get away now/Don’t get away now,” they continue to chant—uncertain as ever of what they want, emotionless about the result either way.
Sassy 009’s ironic detachment—they’re miserable, but resigned to it—perfectly complements their aesthetic. Perhaps too well: The glacial, almost apathetic character of the music has a tendency to meander, particularly as the lead vocals, background vocals, and delicate electronic instrumentation mingle into the same vacant and vaguely dispassionate haze. Bedroom-pop keys float airily, largely directionless; the occasional flourish, such as the lovely flute riff on “Are You Leaving,” gets lost in the overall muddle. The sound can be exquisite, but it feels thin, without momentum or emphasis.
Even at only a quarter of an hour, Do You Mind has a tenuous hold on the listener’s concentration. Their utter lack of affect precludes niceties like brio and panache—it’s as if writing a dynamic song would somehow compromise their sangfroid. Granted, this placid air clashes with the lyrics to interesting effect, giving even the odd romantic cliche a nicely vicious touch. But it makes for a flat and fairly monotonous listening experience. One wishes the songs themselves were as well written as the sentiments they express, or, indeed, that the range of feelings they encompass were reflected in Sassy 009’s musical range. For now, their coldness only inhibits their promise.
