Losem tear into their own worst habits on new single 'Hangnail'

For Kels Taylor, 'Hangnail' turns that familiar cycle of self-sabotage into something volatile, immediate and cathartic. The new Losem single is about recognising the ways you repeatedly get in your own way, then feeling the frustration of watching yourself do it again and again.

Kel's shift into Losem has meant stepping away from their classical and folk-rock foundations and allowing more aggression into the writing. 'Hangnail' makes that change feel purposeful instead of cosmetic. The vulnerability remains, but it's now carried by a much more confrontational sound.

Hayley Williams, Indigo de Souza and Mannequin Pussy all sit somewhere in the track's DNA, particularly in its combination of confession and intensity. But the most interesting thing about 'Hangnail' is the way the artist makes that emotional pressure feel increasingly physical.

There's melody and reflection layered throughout, but also the urge to scream through it all. The imagery of moonlight, battlegrounds, symphonies and ruptured lungs sounds exaggerated on paper, yet it suits the scale the is reaching for.

Ultimately, this is a song about failure rather than recognition. But Losem is at its most convincing when Taylor stops treating that recognition gently. Instead, they turn it up until the problem is simply too impossible to avoid.