Self Esteem (UK) releases album Prioritise Pleasure to massive critical acclaim
(Avenue A / Fiction Records)
The sound of an artist coming into her own, Rebecca Taylor’s remarkable second album as Self Esteem mixes the intimate and conversational with the unabashedly dramatic” – The Guardian, 5*
OUT NOW: SELF ESTEEM
ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM PRIORITISE PLEASURE HERE
MOSTLY SOLD OUT UK TOUR
(US TOUR DATES TBA)
Praise for Prioritise Pleasure:
“Musically smart songs that combine shiny appeal with real originality and spark, this is an off-kilter pleasure” – The Times, 5*
“Subversive, clever, of the moment and utterly joyous, this is a record that reminds you how life-affirming pop music can be.” – Record Collector, 5*
“Commanding, assertive, and powerful, Prioritise Pleasure is everything pop music should be. Wholly unafraid to tackle difficult subjects with ease, in Rebecca Taylor we also have the makings of a serious pop behemoth.” – The Line of Best Fit, 10/10
“Through her own personal stories – and those of others – Prioritise Pleasure manages to challenge accepted norms and helps to exorcise long-buried demons; it’s powerful to the last drop.” – DIY, 5*
“one of those special records that’s importance and legacy will be felt for years to come… a staggering step up.” – Dork, 5*
“Prioritise Pleasure may well be the album of the year. It represents Rebecca Taylor reaching her well-deserved pinnacle, as a modern popstar with the whole package: voice, humour, choreography, honesty, looks and the uncanny ability to pen a banger.” – Gigwise, 10/10
“‘Prioritise Pleasure’ is an ambitious and vibrant testament to women but more importantly, a testament to herself. It’s nothing less than pop perfection.” – The Forty Five, 5*
“Assured and unapologetic, it’s charged with a dark, smirking wit that’s impossible to turn away from” – NME, 4*
“A fierce, feminist, pop prism that is dancable, joyous and above all else – fun” – Rolling Stone
“modern, maximalist pop songs with top notes of of R&B, trap and Afrobeat, plus experimental detailing… There are no misfires” – Uncut, 8/10
“Rather than using pop polish to mask uncomfortable truths, Prioritise Pleasure hits so powerfully specifically because it uses the language of a pop record to state them frankly. It’s masterful.” – Loud & Quiet, 8/10
“‘Prioritise Pleasure’ is a strong offering with inspiring, soul-searching songs… Taylor shows that she can do it all with this second album” – Clash, 8/10
“What is radical is this: Taylor uses chaos, rage and despair as tools to prop up her stadium-sized ambitions… These songs tell us not to stand still anymore. They tell us to start showing off. They tell us to sing again, for ourselves, for each other, all together, gnarly, messy, loud and free.” – The Quietus
Today, Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) releases her hugely acclaimed second album Prioritise Pleasure via Avenue A / Fiction Records. Featuring the acclaimed singles “I Do This All The Time,” “Prioritise Pleasure”, “How Can I Help You”, “Moody” and “You Forever”, Prioritise Pleasure is a remarkable step up from her 2019 debut Compliments Please and sheds light on important issues around female autonomy, comparison culture, self-doubt, heartbreak, sexual assault, comparison culture and self-acceptance, comforted and counter-balanced with an array of rhythmic flourishes that speak to the eclecticism of her experience and influence.
To celebrate the release of Prioritise Pleasure, Self Esteem kicks off a six date tour of record shops across the UK, with a show tonight at London’s XOYO for Rough Trade. Following this, Self Esteem will be touring Prioritise Pleasure across the UK on her forthcoming 19 date headline tour this November, with tickets for a select number of shows still available via https://www.selfesteem.love/. Self Esteem also has a run of UK tour dates due to take place in February and March 2022; the tour includes eight dates across the country, taking in London’s Forum and concludes with a hometown show at Sheffield’s Octagon. A space for both catharsis and euphoric celebration, a Self Esteem live show is not to be missed; tickets are on sale now, see below for a full list of tour dates. American tour dates will be announced shortly.
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure track listing:
01. I’m Fine
02. Fucking Wizardry
03. Hobbies 2
04. Prioritise Pleasure
05. I Do This All The Time
06. Moody
07. Still Reigning
08. How Can I Help You
09. It’s Been A While
10. The 345
11. John Elton
12. You Forever
13. Just Kids
The follow up to Self Esteem’s acclaimed 2019 debut album Compliments Please, Prioritise Pleasure is a record that reminds us all of the importance of being our unapologetic selves, putting your insecurities out there in the hope that it can be the first step towards healing them. Honest disclosure has always been Self Esteem’s forte, and so each track on Prioritise Pleasure handles difficult themes with nuanced perspective, comforted and counter-balanced with an array of rhythmic flourishes that speak to the eclecticism of her experience and influence.
The funk-pop shimmy of “Moody” is anthemic in its analysis of self-sabotaging habits, while opener “I’m Fine” builds a stomp-and-clap wall of solidarity, staking out defiant new ground. Making use of Taylor’s penchant for voice notes, the song’s striking outro draws on snippets of conversation taken from work she did in 2019 with The National Youth Theatre, devising a short play with a group of young female-identifying creatives on the topic of consent.
“It turned into the most amazing month, sitting in a circle and having all these teenage chats,” Taylor says. “But every now and again, there would be some particular insight that would just put goosebumps all over my body.” One such moment was a story shared by a woman in her early twenties, whose fear of walking at night can be heard on the track. “It sounds so stupid, but me and my friends…if we are approached by a group of men, we will bark like dogs…there is nothing that terrifies a man more than a woman who appears completely deranged.”
“It sets the precedent for the whole record; like really, is that what we have to do to feel safe?” says Taylor. “I am so angry that I can’t go on holiday alone. I’m so angry I can’t walk home without someone freaking me out, or worse. And the idea that the only defense we have is to be terrifying is so wrong, but it’s as normalised in society as the idea of feeling heartbroken by a guy that doesn’t text you back enough.”
“Breaking a personal cycle of trauma-suppression”, Taylor says, “starts with laying out these instances of her personal experience – self-doubt, heartbreak, sexual assault, the urge to compare – and realising that one stands out as something that truly can’t be justified as part and parcel of life.”
“What’s the one thing that none of us deserve to have happened to us, but almost all women have had? But in order to fucking live and survive and not spend every day wanting to slay every man I see in the street, I’ve had to normalise it.” She pauses, finding a moment of clarity. “I guess this album, the reason it’s so full of love for myself, is that I’m finally seeing that none of those things are my fault.”
Having allowed itself grace, Prioritise Pleasure is also a record of great joy. Working again with trusted producer Johan Karlberg [of afro-fusion trio The Very Best], it was stitched together throughout the pandemic in chunked sessions, the time between each batch encouraging Taylor to fully flesh out her ideas. With Prioritise Pleasure, Self Esteem comes one step closer to reminding listeners – and herself – that true success begins and ends with self-acceptance, telling your story in the way that only you can.
SELF ESTEEM UK TOUR DATES:
tickets
22nd October – XOYO, Rough Trade, London (full band)
23rd October – Rough Trade, Nottingham (acoustic)
24th October – Rough Trade, Bristol (acoustic)
25th October – HMV Vault, Birmingham (acoustic)
27th October – The Old Fire Station, Vinilo, Bournemouth (acoustic)
28th October – Resident, Brighton (acoustic)
1st November – Fleece, Bristol (SOLD OUT)
2nd November – Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
3rd November – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (SOLD OUT)
4th November – O2 Academy, Oxford (SOLD OUT)
6th November – The Bongo Club, Edinburgh
7th November – Audio, Glasgow (SOLD OUT)
9th November – The Workmans Club, Dublin
10th November – Gorilla, Manchester (SOLD OUT)
11th November – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds (SOLD OUT)
12th November – The Leadmill, Sheffield (SOLD OUT)
14th November – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich (SOLD OUT)
15th November – Sub 89, Reading
16th November – The Joiners, Southampton (SOLD OUT)
17th November – Heaven, London (SOLD OUT)
19th November – Elsewhere, Margate (SOLD OUT)
20th November – Patterns, Brighton (SOLD OUT)
23rd November – Phoenix, Exeter
24th November – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (SOLD OUT)
25th November – Metronome, Nottingham (SOLD OUT)
28th February – The Parish, Huddersfield
1st March – St Lukes, Glasgow
2nd March – Stylus, Leeds
3rd March – CHALK, Brighton
4th March – Trinity, Bristol
23rd March – Cathedral, Manchester
24th March – The Forum, London
25th March – Octagon, Sheffield
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