E.S.S. – “Bigfoot in the City”

On Friday, Charleston-based songwriter E.S.S., frontman of the indie rock band tree limbs, released a new single called “Bigfoot in the City.”

The track shyly wanders its way through the verses and we get snippets of short guitar medleys that decorate the bright spaces with jangle-pop sounds. The lyrical content of this song is introspective and quiet, but tells of a subtle character arc.

A pause for effect followed by a two-beat stomp starts the chorus and the song takes off to the skies. Self-reflective realizations unveil pieces of the artist, inviting listeners to sympathize with Bigfoot in a way we might have never thought we would.

“Where you going kid / far away from kin? / moving out, intend / to learn something / start to feel like a bigfoot again / til I look at my hands.”

Chugging bass and steady guitar strumming push the song along to the tune of a walking drum beat, allowing the listener to get lost in the airy vocals and pretty guitar lines.

“I’m a way too big for this room / I cover the walls in tattoos / and beating around the big bush / that’s life in the city for bigfoot”

What’s this “big bush” he’s beating around? The lyric invokes an idea of self-questioning. The artist feels out of place at home and so he does what he can to make the world around him feel more like his own “covering the walls in tattoos.” A small insight into this lyric is that Elijah has done all of his own tattoos and sees it as another form of expression for himself.

The song ends on a lyric of confirmation and self-assuredness, “I’m a human.” When we hear this for the first time earlier in the song, it comes across as a real time realization — it comes as a surprise — but when we hear it this second time around, there’s a newfound sense of confidence to it. Having found this “self”, the track fades out on Elijah’s wispy vocals.

Catch tree limbs on March 3rd at Tin Roof with locals Catholics and Razor Braids out of Brooklyn.

tree limbs are also in the running for an opening slot at the upcoming Judah and the Lion show at the Music Farm on April 1st, as part of the band’s campaign to have the local scene choose the opener for each stop on their 2023 Spring tour. Learn more and vote for tree limbs, Hotel Hugo, or Homemade Haircuts here.

Stream “Bigfoot in the City” by E.S.S. below.