Estère - Album review: My Design, On Other's Lives
It’s no
surprise that Estère recently opened for Grace Jones. In some ways Estère
is a sonic acolyte of the magnificent Jones, particularly in the sense that she
is endlessly fascinating and mesmerising.
Take a deep breath, you’ll need all the oxygen you can get to listen attentively to all Estere’s new album has to offer.
My Design, On Others' Lives is a fantastic, immersive adventure absolutely packed with creativity and invention. Close your eyes, turn up the volume, and enter the Estère dimension.
Mixed by Lee Prebble, Simon Gooding, and Benny Tones, mastered by Mike Gibson and Benny Tones and produced by Estère herself, this clever album is endlessly surprising and full of delights.
The first section of the album entitled Part 1: My Design demonstrates Estère’s command of driving rhythm and her ability to create hooks that are veritable earworms. Control Freak has an immediate appeal. Grandmother is a beautiful love song to the mother of her father. Yet even as she articulates the tenderness of the track’s subject matter, Estère is constantly exploring the boundaries, catching the listener’s attention and never allowing complacency to creep in.
Pro Bono Techno Zone is a highlight of Part 1. “Up the rivers rise, down the shadows fall. What we thought was free isn’t free at all.” The addition of the backing vocals from a group of young singers really adds to the track.
Part 2: On Others’ Lives continues Estère’s exploration of sound. Rent is memorable, not least because of the power of the lyrics. “I don’t need to ask nobody else to know deep down I’m doing well…because I can pay my rent”. Gun Kid is the stand out track for me with the shifts in style within the track and combination of smooth vocals and pure grit. It’s a really extraordinary piece of work, once again with lyrical bullets that really hit home. “You’d better guard your front door. What do you think I’ve got MY gun for?” Guilty rounds out Part 2 with its truly beautiful guitar and vocal work.
My Design, On Other’s Lives really is a brilliant piece of work. It might defy easy categorisation but what a rich and rewarding creation it is.
★★★★★ (5 stars)
Review written by Jacquie Walters.
About Estère
She began her journey as a bedroom producer with an MPC called Lola. Her first album, Estere, released in 2015 via Paris-based record label Prospect, earned her accolades from prominent media outlets such as Elle Magazine (FR) and Portals. In 2018, Estere’s second album My Design, On Others' Lives was championed by Radio NZ as "an exceptional record." Afropunk called it "an immersive experience unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed."
Estere has brought her unique live show - she plays guitar, keyboards, drums - to Europe, Africa and Asia, including slots opening for Grace Jones and Erykah Badu. Estere’s on stage talent and energy has earned her invitations to international festivals including Glastonbury (UK), Afropunk Paris (FR), and Bushfire Festival (Swaziland). She has also headlined sold-out shows in the UK, France and New Zealand.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Estère
Releases
Other Reviews By jacquiew
Belladonna - Single Review: Calling Out Your Name
25 Mar 2020 // by jacquiew
Wellington-based singer-songwriter Belladonna’s second single Calling Out Your Name is a refreshing and surprisingly upbeat piece of work, especially given its topic of clinging on to the past. Belladonna has a gift for writing a catchy hook, and she employs that talent to great effect here.
Read More...
Jen Turner - Single Review: Singing With Whales
12 Mar 2020 // by jacquiew
Singing with Whales by Jen Turner is a real gem of a single. Reflective and introspective in the particular way that break up songs tend to be, it’s also seriously catchy.
Read More...
Ria Hall - Album Review: Manawa Wera
27 Feb 2020 // by jacquiew
Ria Hall’s new collection of songs Manawa Wera is everything anyone could want from a new release. Hall is without doubt one of Aotearoa’s finest female vocalists and her material is thought-provoking and moving without ever being strident or preachy.
Read More...
Gig Review: Jackie Bristow @ The Boathouse, Nelson - 14/02/2020
15 Feb 2020 // by jacquiew
There was a lot to love about Jackie Bristow’s performance at The Boathouse in Nelson. The Boathouse has got to be one of the most spectacular settings in New Zealand for a music venue.
Read More...
Levi Lights On Project - Single Review: Like A Tie
14 Nov 2019 // by jacquiew
Levi Lights On Project have a knack for writing material that captures the zeitgeist and their latest single is no exception. Moody, gritty and evocative, Like a Tie is the perfect song for a television or film soundtrack with a Walter Mitty-esque theme of an office worker or corporate executive who dreams of throwing off the shackles of the 9 to 5 and living a more colourful existence.
Read More...
Albi & The Wolves - Gig Review: Albi and the Wolves @ Room Twenty5, Nelson
26 Oct 2019 // by jacquiew
Auckland-based trio Albi and the Wolves have made a real impression on the festival scene both here and overseas, especially since their Best Folk Artist of the Year Tui Award win in 2018. Just days ago, the group were named in the line-up for WOMAD 2020, a well-deserved nod for the very hardworking and talented Chris Dent, Micheal Young, and Pascal Roggen.
Read More...
Gig Review: Tami Neilson @ Nelson Arts Festival - 21/10/2019
22 Oct 2019 // by jacquiew
Tami Neilson is outrageously excellent. Her voice is full, powerful, nuanced and rich.
Read More...
Gig Review: Hollie Smith @ The Playhouse, Nelson - 22/09/2019
23 Aug 2019 // by jacquiew
Hollie Smith has a lovely voice and is a highly-regarded singer known to many for her work with TrinityRoots and Fly My Pretties, and for her vocals on the Don McGlashan penned hit Bathe In The River. Smith has also had significant success in her solo career to date.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
