Sasha Allen has continually proven that his pen is razor sharp, delivering pointed and politically charged commentary with his songwriting. His single “The Bluebirds” directly targeted the rise of AI-generated music, specifically comments made by Suno AI CEO Mikey Schulman where he posits that the majority of people don’t find enjoyment in the creation of music anymore.
“Sworn Enemy,” the closing track of Allen’s debut record The Gallery, is a snapshot of the ever-maddening political landscape. Pop music has, over the last several years, become focused on pleasure over substance. “Sworn Enemy” proves that a modern indie-pop song can be infectiously catchy, but still hold weight outside of itself.
The song feels like a frenzied sibling to “True Believer” by Hayley Williams. The songs share a lot of similar imagery, most notably the whitewashing of Jesus and the commodification of religion and tragedy. There’s a bit of a folk influence that comes through on “Sworn Enemy” with the rapidly mounting storytelling aspects. It’s reminiscent of Bob Dylan in that way, where on a song like “Hurricane” you keep piling up all of the minute details of the story before the chorus hooks you right back to the start.
Allen first gained national recognition by making history as The Voice‘s first transgender semi-finalist. With his commitment to political expression and looking for hope in such uncertain times, it is clear that Allen will continue to be a trailblazer as he continues on his songwriting journey.
