Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure

  by Zena Grieg

published: 16 / 11 / 2021

Label: Fiction Records
Format: CD

intro

Unflinchingly honest and bittersweet second akbum from Self Esteem, the nom de plume for Yorkshire-based experimental musician Rebecca Taylor

Formerly half of the Yorkshire indie-folk duo ‘Slow Club’, Rebecca Taylor aka Self-Esteem, has launched her second album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, produced by the Swedish producer Johan Hugo Karlberg (of Afro-pop fusion duo ‘The Very Best’) . Written during the pandemic at her parents’ home in Yorkshire, the album deals with difficult topics; failure in love, angst, misogyny - all with an unflinching honesty and a bittersweet humour and self-awareness. Describing the thirteen-track collection as a “strong and unapologetic statement of intent,” Rebecca said: ”My quest is to try and make music that is widescreen and cinematic… big!”. Stand-out tracks include: the opener, the electronic pop number ‘I’m Fine,’ with its spoken-word snippet from a National Youth Theatre workshop she was involved in on consent, addressing the anxieties of women walking home: “There is nothing that terrifies a man more than a woman who appears completely deranged”; the catchy pop song ‘Fucking Wizardry;’ the title track and video with its driving drumbeat and assertive chorus: “Prioritise pleasuring me/No need to wait for bended knee/I’m free”; the funk-driven ’Moody’ with its self-deprecating humour: “Sexting you at the mental health talk seems counterproductive/Drinking a bottle instead of a glass is me, I’m a classic”; the empowering ‘The 345’ with its words of encouragement: “I just want to let you know there’s a point in you…/We made it this far/Might as well carry on/Don’t have to stick to a plan/Just living”; and the plaintive closer ‘Just Kids’ building to an emotional crescendo. Cathartic, funny, reflective, inspirational, ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ is a confident follow-up on Self Esteem's debut album with music and lyrics that will resonate for an even wider audience.

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