Self Esteem " A Complicated Woman Album Review

A Complicated Woman Album from Self Esteem out Friday 25th April 2025 via Polydor Records.

WATCH + LISTEN TO THE FIRST SINGLE ‘FOCUS IS POWER’

Rebecca Lucy Taylor—aka Self Esteem—has long since outgrown the indie-pop roots of Slow Club, evolving into a fully-fledged pop powerhouse whose work is as fearless as it is finely crafted.

The 2019 debut Compliments Please was a bold, genre-blending statement that marked her departure from the indie-pop duo and introduced a new, unapologetic voice in British music. The album bristled with sharp wit, experimental production, and emotional honesty, laying the groundwork for a project rooted in both empowerment and vulnerability.

Self Esteem followed it up with 2021’s Prioritise Pleasure—a breakout moment that established Self Esteem as one of the UK’s most vital and acclaimed voices. Released on 22 October 2021, the album tackled themes of misogyny, heartbreak, self-worth, and autonomy with anthemic flair. It was named Album of the Year by The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and Gigwise, while NME placed it fourth in their year-end list. Its standout single, I Do This All The Time, was hailed by The Guardian as the best song of 2021.

Prioritise Pleasure wasn’t just a critical success—it was a cultural event. A sold-out tour and over 30 festival appearances in 2022 cemented Taylor’s reputation as a fearless, theatrical performer. That same year, she composed the score for the acclaimed West End play Prima Facie, thematically aligning with the album’s message of resilience and defiance in the face of injustice.

In 2023, Taylor launched the I Tour This All The Time tour—playing to over 43,000 people, including sold-out runs at London’s Eventim Apollo and Sheffield’s O2 Academy. She introduced new tracks like Mother and Love Second Music First, hinting at what was to come. That summer saw her perform with a full orchestra at the BBC Proms, support Blur at Wembley, and close the Prioritise Pleasure era with a triumphant hometown show in Sheffield.

Even between albums, Self Esteem stayed busy—releasing standout collaborations with Django Django, Craig Armstrong, and featuring on the unofficial England Women’s World Cup anthem Call Me a Lioness. Across both records and everything in between, her work has consistently fused raw emotion, clever song writing, and a flair for drama, solidifying her as one of the most distinctive voices in modern British music. Now, after a year in the studio and a handful of teaser releases—including collaborations with Moonchild Sanelly, Nadine Shah, and the House Gospel Choir—Self Esteem returns with A Complicated Woman, her third and most confident record yet.

Out on 25 April 2025, the album delivers 12 tracks that feel like a victory lap and a battle cry rolled into one. Songs like Focus Is Power and Logic, Bitch! are as bold and uncompromising as their titles suggest, while Mother and The Deep Blue Okay showcase Taylor’s unmatched ability to blend raw emotion with pure pop brilliance. There’s humour, heartbreak, rage, joy—and all the beautiful contradictions that come with being, well, a complicated woman.

This is Self Esteem at full power: unapologetically honest, sonically expansive, and completely in her own lane. It’s not just a step forward—it’s a leap. Her best work yet.

A Complicated Woman tracklisting

1.⁠ ⁠I Do And I Don’t Care 

2.⁠ ⁠Focus Is Power

3.⁠ ⁠Mother 

4.⁠ ⁠The Curse

5.⁠ ⁠Logic, Bitch! ft Sue Tompkins 

6.⁠ ⁠Cheers To Me

7.⁠ ⁠If Not Now, It’s Soon

8.⁠ ⁠In Plain Sight ft Moonchild Sanelly

9.⁠ ⁠Lies ft Nadine Shah 

10.⁠ ⁠69

11.⁠ ⁠What Now

12.⁠ ⁠The Deep Blue Okay