Self Esteem – ‘A Complicated Woman’ album review: a sexy, searing celebration of femininity
THE SKINNY: Let’s just get one thing out in the open – I would eat up frankly anything that Rebecca Lucy Taylor, otherwise known as Self Esteem, brings to the table. Off the back of her critically acclaimed sophomore effort Prioritise Pleasure in 2021, however, cynics could question if there was anywhere left for her to grow. Subsequently, instead, she returns with a 12-course delectable feast of femininity on A Complicated Woman, pairing painful introspection with a blazing call to arms.
It’s become somewhat of a Self Esteem trademark for her lyrics to reflect a searing truthfulness about life and all the tribulations that come with it, but perhaps more than ever, A Complicated Woman dives headfirst into these depths. Poetically ruminating on the past, present, and future versions of one female self, it carries a striking realism but equally ambitious heart.
However, this is not to give the album a label it doesn’t deserve – this is not some completely over-pretentious moody rumination on identity. There’s joy and fun, a zest for life, and a sexiness that ebbs from every second of the record, making it a true celebration of femininity in all its forms and everything that Taylor – and, frankly, all women should stand for.
Especially at a time when women’s places in the world have never felt so threatened, A Complicated Woman presents a version of femininity that is triumphant but also flawed; the warts-and-all approach that’s often yearned for in music but never quite fulfilled. If it wasn’t already obvious from its Handmaid’s Tale-esque cover artwork, the album is its own small rebellion, the Self Esteem magnum opus as much as it is the world’s. It’s equal parts raw, unfiltered, theatrical, ugly, beautiful, yet seductive – but simply brilliant.
For fans of: Feeling like you could start a feminist revolution just from listening to one album.
A concluding comment from Paris Hilton: “That’s hot!”
A Complicated Woman track by track:
Release date: April 25th | Producer: Johan Hugo | Label: Polydor
‘I Do and I Don’t Care’: The opener is essentially a five-minute odyssey foreshadowing the complete musical journey the album is set to travel on, from roaring tribal spirit to reflective spoken word. On the latter, Taylor muses on catching yourself in a pub window smoking while still thinking you’re 15 years old inside your head – and it’s this precise reckoning of life and womanhood she is set to face. [5/5]
‘Focus is Power’: The record’s lead single, released when the album was announced three months ago, stands as an empowering, anthemic ode to confidence, resilience, and, funnily enough, self-esteem that’s inherently compelling and uplifting. [5/5]
‘Mother’: A reclamation of power against the trope of women being the sole caregivers in life, without often receiving anything in return, this song certainly holds a blazing sentiment, but it just risks being a bit too on the nose with the point and lacks some nuance. [3/5]
‘The Curse’: Despite the subject matter of cutting your losses while enduring heartbreak, there’s something cathartic about a gospel choir joyously singing the words “Fuck you, my friend, fuck you,” that will inexplicably make you smile and also feel like all your problems might just disappear. [4/5]
‘Logic, Bitch!’ (feat Sue Tompkins): This is Self Esteem at her rawest and most vulnerable ebb, coming to terms with the fact that her fame renders her personal pain a public commodity of her life and career, as she points out: “Now this song’s on the setlist forevermore.” [4/5]
‘Cheers To Me’: For some reason electronic power pop has become inherently feminine in recent years through the likes of Lorde and Charli XCX, but in this song, Taylor proves that she too can compete in this league and produce a fiercely slick effort to boot, without ever feeling uncertain in her footing. [5/5]
‘If Not Now, It’s Soon’: It’s a universal experience for every young woman to feel as though her life is stuck in a rut and is never moving in the direction she wants, but the reassurance of Self Esteem as almost like an older sister figure here will make even the most cynical listener feel as though the world is full of possibilities. [4/5]
‘In Plain Sight’ (feat. Moonshine Sanelly): There’s a surreal, ugly reality to this song where Moonshine Sanelly reflects on the oppressive weight of others’ opinions of women in society as she screams, “What the fuck you want from me? […] Won’t you let me be?”. This is perhaps the greatest strength of the album – Taylor reflects her own truth but also opens it up to represent the struggles of all women. [5/5]
‘Lies’ (feat Nadine Shah): On first listen, the song sounds technological, clunky, and a little unpalatable – but this is the point. It’s about women holding their tongues and letting the world believe an untruth about themselves; a song befitting of its album’s artwork if ever you’ve heard and seen one. [4/5]
‘69’: While it’s invariably going to be a Marmite tune, it is quite hilarious that Self Esteem has dedicated an entire song – and separately released single – to her favourite sex positions. Is it possibly trying to ride on the coattails of female agency that Brat brought about last summer? Possibly. But it’s also just irreverent and flirty and fun. [3.5/5]
‘What Now’: It’s an apt title after the blasting not safe for work sentiments of ‘69’, but I’m also a massive sucker for a gospel choir and they have been used throughout the album for perfect pitching. Much before, it’s the comforting confidence that life is working itself out as it should, which is perfect in summing up all that the record has stood for. [5/5]
‘The Deep Blue Okay’: With Taylor in position as the religious leader and her choir in tow, there’s a championing resolution to the album’s closer that’s all about making peace with one’s womanhood and embracing it. Imagine it as the end credit song to a cheesy film about finding yourself that nevertheless still makes you cry. Your life will feel forever affirmed after it. [5/5]
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