SASAMI shares alternate version of “Tried To Understand” featuring J Mascis

"Tried To Understand," a cut from SASAMI's excellent album Squeeze, was an acoustic-driven rock song with a pleasant propulsion masking its tragic tale of self-destruction. As SASAMI wraps up a tour with Mitski and starts a new one with HAIM, she's sharing a previously unheard version of "Tried To Understand" with Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis and Ty Segall on drums.

What hits you immediately is the noise: SASAMI is a loose and fearsome presence when she stomps on the distortion box, and the presence of Mascis and Segall only bolsters her already considerable capabilities. The tornado of guitars gives the song's heartache a furious new urgency, as well as a vintage garage-rock sheen crafted on SASAMI's own terms.

"’Tried to Understand’ was a song that took many forms before it became what you hear on my album, Squeeze,” SASAMI said in a press statement. “This rawer cut with J Mascis is kind of a peek into the different dimensions and moods one composition can inhabit. This version features Ty Segall on drums, me on bass and guitar and J. on the ripping leads and backing vocals. It’s the less cute version of what spinning out can sound like.”