Album Review
Self Esteem - Compliments Please
4 StarsYou WILL love this record, and you will give it the respect it deserves.
If you take one look at Self Esteem’s Rebecca Taylor on social media, you’ll quickly learn two things: one, she’s very, very funny, and two: she’s wrestling away with life’s insecurities just like the rest of us. No longer reduced to a part of the overall sum that was Slow Club, her first record as Self Esteem allows her songwriting skills to flourish in all their flawed glory - at once assertive and vulnerable, her take on pop flirts with high-end glossy sonics but still holds roots in the slow-building atmospherics that fuelled her past work, as well as some leftfield R&B influences. ‘In Time’ has plenty in common with a glory-days Kanye record, and then of course there is opener ‘The Best’ - a fourth-wall breaker that Beyoncé would be proud of, detailing the liberation of going it alone and projecting strength in an industry set against the success of confident women. Woven around spoken word interludes, it works beautifully as a concept of solo life - the freedom to explore ideas at will with no need for a conversation about ‘creative differences’.
From a project titled Self Esteem, ‘Compliments Please’ may sound like another statement of insecurity. To think this is to miss the point - turn it on its head, and the title becomes a stamp of assurance - you WILL love this record, and you will give it the respect it deserves. With a collection of songs this strong, who are we to argue?
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Self Esteem & Jake Shears to join cast of London’s Cabaret West End show
The two artists will be performing the iconic roles of Sally Bowles and Emcee from the end of September.
15th August 2023, 10:51am
Self Esteem shares cover of ‘You Are So Beautiful’
The cover of the classic track has been recorded as part of Dove's Self-Esteem Project.
22nd June 2023, 2:48pm
Self Esteem named as the final headliner for Green Man Festival 2023
She joins Devo, First Aid Kit and Spiritualized at the top of the bill this year.
2nd June 2023, 3:56pm
Self Esteem, Years & Years, Bloc Party and The Human League to headline Standon Calling 2023
The deluxe version of her album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ is out now.
1st December 2022, 12:00am
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.