Self Esteem – Big Man Review

New spots of music from skilled Sheffield songwriter Self Esteem are always a treat. Big Man comes good as does Rebecca Taylor, who has evolved their sound and style from Prioritise Pleasure to now. A collaboration with Moonchild Sanelly does well to bring together two creative stars on a track benefitting their range. An attempt at a pop classic, detailing the recognition of others and the desire to pursue not the person but the praise. It is easy to rattle on about the difference Self Esteem is making in general pop circles, the smaller group of artists who are not quite primed for the breakthrough period – but are getting ever closer. Big Man is a bit of a step back for the lyrical choices but a push forward for the instrumental style, honing those trap-style beats as best it can. 

But it falls short of being anywhere satisfying. A clunky piece with talented people at the heart of it. A song of empowerment with the singers at the heart of this providing evidence of being the big men of their social relationships, bringing home the bacon and working hard to do so. Big Man then feels like a hit-out against those who are not capable of balancing the societal demands and the overarching achievements of the individual as an artist. There is a heart to this tone but laziness pours through with its repetition of boss bitches and big boys. A little too loud over what becomes an instrumentally charged end. Big Man has a well-deserved context running through it but the necessity of the message is outweighed by the lesser choices of its repetitive lyrical style.  

Ultimately Big Man is solid work which slides into a dependable but overplayed style of pop sound. The contemporary flourishes are lacklustre and it is the desire to hear more from Sanelly and Self Esteem, independently and collaboratively, that will keep fans ticking over with this one. It starts with this promise of overcoming the pop excess with a conversational tone and the heavier beats provide some excellent foundations for the pair to leap from. Yet it does not come together, either through the drilled-in repetition of its title track or the lack of range in those opportune moments to rail against societal norms and push through with a new sound. Neither manages it, but there is a strong attempt within.  

A back-and-forth of people who believe they can run the world and do so by looking sexy, feeling strong and powering through. There is more to it than this but the word empowerment will serve Big Man with an appropriate range to it. It does more than most pop pieces of the time but lacks a contemporary edge to it beyond the strife heard in other, more developed songs of the same powerful style. Big Man is a bit of a miss in the sense of its main aim. Repetitive and of a tiresome variety, but packing an instrumental punch which, with better lyrical developments and a sharper edge to it, which we already know Self Esteem is capable of, Big Man would come across so much stronger.