Cusk is the alt-rock group fronted by duo Esmé Creed-Miles and Evie Hilyer-Ziegler. The pair met at an improvisation night at the Moth Club in 2023 and soon became close friends and collaborators, drawn together by a shared instinct for making music that is raw, exploratory, and emotionally direct.

Their process is intuitive. Songs begin as fragments: voice notes, poems and melodies caught in passing, with full songs taking shape through a process of playing together. Evie and Esmé’s musical chemistry is characterized by their juxtaposing playing styles. In the space between Hilyer-Ziegler’s precise, melodic string work, her sirenesque vocals and Creed-Miles’ slackened rhythm guitar and androgynous lyrics, there exists a spectrum of character and femininity. Their songwriting dances along this spectrum, playfully contrasting impulse and control, quiet intimacy and sudden intensity.

At the core of this project is friendship and trust. Writing and performing together allows Creed-Miles and Hilyer-Ziegler to reach something neither could alone. That connection translates into music that draws you into their mood – hood up, inward facing – completely absorbing.