Steve Horowitz: The scratchy beat here makes me want to get the mixer a throat lozenge, but it does keep the song moving. Django Django seem to be hiding behind Self Esteem’s vocals, but it is the band that propels the music. Self Esteem does a good job of singing, but the lyrics serve as a prop. The sound of the words that matter more than the words and Django Django’s wordlessness expresses more than doggerel verses. [6/10]
Robert Evers: An odd song for a British art rock band. The video looks like the low-budget debut single for a pop star, without any members of Django Django present. It’s almost confusing they released it under their own name at all. The song itself doesn’t sound like the rest of the album, and it would have made more sense to either have them present in the video or just credit it to Self Esteem feat. Django Django. [7/10]
Tristan Kneschke: Django Django provide a sort of calypso beat for the unGoogleable Self Esteem. The song’s sunny disposition belies its brooding lyrics, evoking uncertainty and even a sense of suffocation that its title implies. Newcomers to Self Esteem will find a singer who can command in front of the camera as well as in the studio. [5/10]
Adriane Pontecorvo: Pulling in the mellow vocals of Self Esteem adds a velvety texture to Django Django’s tropical electronics. It’s a brilliant move; the whole here is greater than the sum of its parts would be, and while it’s still a simple track, it’s worthwhile. [7/10]
John Garratt: Self Esteem? This video seems designed to make us all jealous of how cool she is. As far as Django Django themselves go, “Surface to Air” sounds like they all took a tea break and let a bunch of other people into the studio that day. I now have no inclination to listen to Marble Skies, but I do have the inclination to go home after work and dig out their first album. Yeah, I know, I hate it when other people say such things too, but it’s true! [3/10]
SCORE: 5.60