Nottingham trio The Cost Of Loving return with the fluorescent new single ‘Esports Player’. Drawing inspiration from iconic synth acts such as New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and Tame Impala, the trio masterfully blends nostalgia with a contemporary twist in their music.
With previous successes including support from editorial Spotify playlists like ‘New Music Friday UK’ and ‘Hot New Bands,’ as well as airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio X, The Cost of Loving, consisting of Jack Kwiecinski (vocals, synth, programming), Josef Bone (synth, programming), and Antony Onorati (bass, synth), continues to prove their prowess in creating captivating music.
‘Esports Player’ is a shimmering fusion of indie-electronic pop, catchy wordplay, rhythmic synths, and infectious drum machine samples. The song features layers of analogue synth pads, plucky leads, and a recurring bassline, all driven by punchy electronic beats. The central hook, combined with Jack’s emotive vocals, adds a striking commercial edge to the track.
Speaking about ‘Esports Player,’ the band shared, “Since playing live as The Cost of Loving, we’ve closed our set with this track, and it generally goes down as a crowd favorite.” This decision was a logical choice for the lead single from their upcoming EP.
Lead vocalist Jack delved into the creative process behind the track, saying, “I came up with the verse melody to ‘Esports Player’ a few years ago while driving on the motorway in the dark. The original opening line I had was: ‘The streetlights run out; the cat’s eyes close,’ (a play on the reflective studs on the motorway). I got home and recorded the verse melody over some chords played through a Rhodes plugin, then left it on the scrapheap of creative ideas.”
He continued, “I revisited the track during the pandemic around the time that I was adjusting to working on Microsoft Teams and only interacting with people solely through screens and instant messenger. That’s how a theme developed around the social isolation created by the digital age. I’m also sort of bewildered by the idea of people playing video games as a professional sport or filming themselves in the act for their millions of followers… that’s where the title came from.”
The song’s production process, reflecting its theme, was unconventional. Jack recorded all the parts at home, while the vocals were laid down at ROFL Studios in Nottingham. Due to pandemic restrictions, the mixing and production were done remotely by Lee McCarthy & Ady Hall (Sugar House). Jack added, “It was a weird way of working, as I wasn’t present in the room for this part of the process, but that makes perfect sense with the song’s topic and how it makes me feel.”
Since their live debut opening for The Bodega at Dot To Dot Festival in May 2023, The Cost of Loving has been on an upward trajectory. They’ve gained daytime rotation on BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio Leicester, featured on Spotify’s ‘We Are Nottingham’ editorial playlist, and garnered support across Amazing Radio. With new material on the horizon, the band is steadily building towards the release of their first full project.
The Cost of Loving’s ‘Esports Player’ is a testament to their evolving sound and ability to capture the essence of both past and present in the realm of synth-pop.
Listen below:
