talker (stylized in lower case) is the moniker used by singer-songwriter Celeste Tauker, as well as the name of her band. Either way, she plays strongly pop driven indie rock that keeps its emo component fairly close to the surface. Her songs are well-polished, melodic and energetic, often with tightly constructed songs that burst into big choruses in big emotional waves. Her quieter moments reveal a bit of a balladeer underneath the swagger, while the louder parts suggest connections to the '00s indie esthetics filtered through contemporary pop that would incidentally, be quite at home on a grand stage. On the other hand, there is a layer of melancholy in her music that gives her work a more direct and personal edge.