Esme Emerson – ‘Applesauce’ review: confident and playful indie pop

6 March, 2025

Esme Emerson photographed against a pile of broken furniture and covered in patches of fake blood, photo by Dajiana Huang

Sibling duo Esme Emerson make indie pop songs that spark the imagination, creating a soundscape that excitedly grabs your hand and asks you to go on a journey. On the NME 100 act’s third EP ‘Applesauce’, they capitalise on the cathartic momentum from previous track ‘Show You (Truck Song)’ to deliver a project that balances nostalgic joy with hard truths. Imagine the euphoric highs of Alvvays’ pristine pop textures and apply them to tales of youth and the bittersweetness of growing up.

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In Esme and Emerson Lee-Scott’s musical world, it’s as if one mind is shared between two. Emerson works on the production, while Esme writes lyrics for his luscious soundscapes and paints the distinctive oil artworks for each single on the EP. ‘Applesauce’ serves as their most confident effort to date, with Emerson taking more risks on production. On tracks like ‘Too Far Gone’, the rushing synths feel like you’re being fired into a landscape of shimmering colour; a far cry from the indie-folk leanings of their debut EP ‘S For Sugar, D For Dog’.

Esme’s vocals are front and centre of the songs, but it’s refreshing to hear Emerson’s vocals utilised to much greater effect. His voice is less hidden behind effects and pitched higher in the mix, creating vital synergy between himself and Esme. He hovers as a reassuring shoulder to cry on during ‘Together’ as Esme sings, “I’ve been down, you’ve been down, let’s be down together”; the emotional load, at least momentarily, is shared.

Youthful innocence has often been a lynchpin of Esme’s songwriting, managing to perfectly encapsulate the chaotic, carefree fun we have on a whim when we’re young. But she manages to balance this with the very real growing pains we experience in adolescence. ‘Applesauce’ is marred in turbulence from strained relationships, including closing track ‘Stay’, which sees her attempting to desperately cling onto a relationship that is as good as dead.

Esme Emerson’s third EP shows us that perhaps we sometimes need to embody a carefree, childish attitude to help process the very real challenges we face in life. ‘Applesauce’ is surrounded by sugary-sweet moments of pop, which pays testament to the youthful bond between the siblings, encapsulating the innocent sense of fun shared between them. We’ve watched them continue to grow up together through their musical collaboration – and it’s only helping them to expand into bigger and brighter songs.