Ezra Williams follows up their Choice-nominated debut Supernumeraries with a mesmeric EP, Socks. On the title track, Ezra turns a stock image of emotional pain on its head.

Perhaps, you know the one: a person doubled-over on the bathroom floor, knees to chest, crying into their forearms. It’s a bit too on the nose, a romanticised expression of inner suffering. Ezra subverts this, adding a sense of reality to the fore, imploring: “Why is your pain prettier than me?”

The uncompromising lyricism is on full display here, pedalled by a propulsively cathartic soundscape. Populated with crystalline melodies, glimmering guitars and a smouldering rhythm section, the track bursts into a pummeling release.

 

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A lot of Ezra Williams’ music does just that: drawing from the messy palette of being, seeking to disrupt the perceived standard of human existence and unveiling its realities in spades. Once the reality becomes apparent is usually when the sonic catharsis kicks in, lyrics belted to their vocal frontiers over the full-tilt instrumentation. 'Socks' is, at once, a dizzying display of Ezra Williams' lyrical and instrumental prowess.