Esme Emerson - S For Sugar, D For Dog EP 
Release Date: Out Now
There have been some seriously impressive debuts in 2022 so it's going to be tough to call out the Best Debut category at the end of the year but I'm fairly confident this debut offering from Esme Emerson will be there or there abouts. 'S For Sugar, D For Dog' opens with 'Eighteen' which finds the sibling duo in dreamily nostalgic mood as the soft vocals and gently undulating melodies soothe you at the end of the day. 'Words' continues with the gentle, folk-pop vibes on a tune that sounds like Ellie Goulding and Laura Marling co-creating a very tangible sense of calm and quiet beauty.
The birdsong on the intro to 'Songs About You' is absolutely perfect for a song that feels like it just fell out of a coming of age lo-fi flick while 'Running (Back To You)' has a more mainstream pop aesthetic as the layers build up and drop away with impressive precision. There's a Zoe Johnston vibe to the acoustic plucking of 'Home' which makes you want to lie back in a field of daisies and just stare at the sky for hours. Similarly, the near whispered vocal of 'Better This Time' has a delicate and lace-like texture that will appeal to fans of Bon Iver, Sigur Ros and Phoebe Bridgers. The EP finishes with 'Look Down/Scared Of Falling', a song that feels so in tune with the movements and rhythms of nature that it was surely written beneath the gently swaying branches of a tree by a babbling brook. Esme Emerson are a gently stunning double act and one that will capture your heart before the listening of this EP is done.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/esmeemersonmusic