It’s fitting that the first sound you hear on Everyone’s Playing, the debut EP from local band Esque, is a dark but danceable blast of drum and bass galloping out of the mix, because the thing that distinguishes this no-wave four-piece from so many other bands mining the hip sounds of the Carter/Reagan era is an active rhythm section that knows its way around the dub- and funk-influenced side of the post-punk world. Over this solid foundation, the band layers atmospheric keyboards and creeping guitars onto the surface of songs that seem to live up to their titles: “Game I Lose,” “The Glorious Death of Me,” “Lost Art of Suffering,” etc. As the titles imply, this is a band that luxuriates in its morosity, and with this water-bed rhythm section, it seems like a worthwhile gambit. (“The Glorious Death of Me,” “Hard Living”) — CH
Grade: B+