Location: Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90028
Date: Sep 19, 2025 – 8:00pm
Samia, Hank Heaven, Renny Conti, Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
The surgical removal of cattle organs, known as bovine excision, is a perplexing phenomenon that occurs without bloodshed. This unsettling concept serves as the haunting inspiration for the opening track of Samia’s third album, which is aptly named.
Bloodless. Her voice glides effortlessly through the evocative lyrics, intertwining with the soft strumming of a solitary acoustic guitar. The subtle intimacy escalates into a tempest of sound, culminating in Samia’s layered, ethereal harmonies that resonate with a haunting, macabre refrain: “And drained, drained bloodless.”
These hollowed cattle conjure a grotesque vessel she inadvertently nurtured in her quest to embody something both elusive and visible, brimming with infinite projections and capable of fueling an unyielding pursuit of the unattainable. Through vivid imagery—Diet Dr. Pepper and Raymond Carver as parallel pursuits of minimalism, white underwear and leeches, a Degas dancer poised at the bannister—Samia scrutinizes a paradoxical existence where merit morphs into a calculated act of extraction (“I felt the pea, can I eat it?”). This is merely one thread Samia intricately weaves into the elaborate tapestry of Bloodless.
Her 2020 debut album, The Baby, represented a confessional coming-of-age—a heartfelt love letter to those emotions that are most challenging to express. In her 2023 album Honey, Samia deepens this investigation of young adulthood, providing a more introspective perspective as she seeks clarity. These releases, including her 2021 EP Scout, along with her captivating live performances, have garnered her widespread critical acclaim, over 150 million streams, and a dedicated fan base who passionately sing along to every word at sold-out shows. She has also captivated new audiences by opening for artists such as Maggie Rogers, Lucy Dacus, and Courtney Barnett.
“For the last twenty years, I have inadvertently merged an abstract concept of masculinity with my perception of God,” Samia articulates. “The individual I transformed into in order to gain the approval of this imagined entity is inextricably linked to my current self. Through this album, I have endeavored to address that directly.
Bloodless delves into her connection with a disjointed, symbolic representation of Men—a collage of expectations and idealized standards she aspired to fulfill, which ultimately influenced her identity.
“I experience decision paralysis,” she confesses, “where I mentally navigate every potential option and suffer the repercussions in my mind. God and Men offer a degree of solace in that they can make decisions on your behalf. The remarkable aspect of God and my Figment Man is that I determine what either of them desires me to do. Thus, in this intricate manner, I still manage to pursue my own wishes while delegating the accountability.
Hole in a Frame, the album’s reflective core, alludes to a section of wall at a Tulsa venue where, in 1978, Sid Vicious created a hole with his fist — the absence, that void, absurdly celebrated. “It is simpler to embody an idea than to be a person,” Samia contemplates. “Your warped representation shields you from stagnation. I perceive a certain rationale in venerating a void, and even more in striving to become one. It feels known and reassuring. Unlike the true self, your absence only increases in worth and enigma as time progresses.”
On Lizard, characterized by its vibrant, melodic tones and wavering synths, Samia reveals, “It’s painful to remain present, to exist as a tangible, living individual at a gathering, after having comfortably existed as a myth or a memory. It was even more distressing to attempt to avoid ruining a party that I had already disrupted.
“I aimed to cease punishing myself by rejecting the notion that a significant aspect of my character was constructed around traits and behaviors I thought—whether through observation or hearsay—would be appealing to men,” she articulates. “I started to liken it to a relationship with God, where followers mold their entire existence around His commandments, even though they were never explicitly instructed to do so.”
For Bloodless, Samia collaborated once again with producers Caleb Wright—of her beloved band, The Happy Children—and Jake Luppen of Hippo Campus, who also happens to be her neighbor in Minneapolis. She has recently moved there after spending a year in LA, three years in Nashville, and her teenage and early adult years in New York City. Completing the team is Samia’s close friend and fellow artist Raffaella, who inspired the track North Poles. Together, they have established an environment where Samia can be both open and challenged.
Recorded in North Carolina and Minneapolis, Bloodless is a richly textured album that transitions effortlessly from minimalistic folk to grand indie-pop anthems. Songs like Fair Game delve into duality, “oscillating between idealized and demonized versions of myself, fantasizing about fully embodying either.” In contrast, Sacred reveals “someone’s capacity for love through their hatred.”
The album concludes with the radiant and unconventional track, Pants, which revolves around the poignant lyric: “Who was I when I bought these pants? / They’re non-refundable / Now I’m
questioning everything I am.” This song explores the ceaseless, often unproductive quest for a version of ourselves that we believe once existed, only to come to the realization that this “original” self was never a stable identity. This understanding can lead us to feel like strangers in our own lives, doubting even the most trivial decisions.
Throughout these thirteen tracks, Samia confronts the empty form she previously inhabited—a vessel that acquired significance through its own absence, until the act of playing dead evolved into a distinct form of existence. With Bloodl
