Esser - Headlock

Take any of Graham Coxon’s most recent efforts and strip everything away, leaving only the endearingly helpless croon and the skeleton of a perfect pop song. Infuse this with an electro heart that stutters and jumps like an old motor. If you’re lucky, you’ll be left something like Esser’s wonderfully desperate tale of an ill-willed lover.

Generally speaking, anyone using a fight as a metaphor for their relationship isn’t in an emotionally healthy place. Indeed, Esser seems in a particularly bad way, sighing, “I’ve got a problem, its called living / When will I learn that you’re no good for me?” Ah, when.

Vocally, it’s a little like X-Press 2’s 2002 dance anthem, ‘Lazy’, re-worked with a DIY aesthetic. It shares the same wearisome falsetto harmonies, the same sense of resignation ‐ as the track opens, our poor protagonist sounds like he may collapse into sobs at any moment.

The silver lining? It’s utterly brilliant. She may not love you, Esser, but we certainly do.