Sylvan Esso

2012–2013: Beginnings

Lead singer Amelia Meath, who was at the time involved with her trio, Mountain Man, created the vocals to the song called Play It Right. She later met electronic music producer Nick Sanborn in Milwaukee at the Cactus Club, performing at the time solo as Made of Oak, and asked him to make a rendering of her single, Play It Right, in his own way. From 2012 to 2013, the band slowly formed. Meath had returned from a year-and-a-half tour with Feist and was looking for an affordable place to live, thus landing in Durham with Nick and began making their album, with all of their songs being recorded in Nick Sanborn's apartment bedroom. Sanborn expressed that his music "sync[ed] seamlessly with Meath's melodies, so that the respective words and beats bec[ame] a string of ready-to-play singles."

2014–present: Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso is the group's eponymous debut studio album, released May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12) via Partisan Records. The album reached No. 39 on the Billboard 200 and No. 7 on the Independent Albums chart, and as of November 2014 has sold 39,000 copies. The single "Hey Mami" was named Paste Magazine's No. 1 song of 2014. They made their network television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 9, performing the single "Coffee". It received considerable airplay in the US, increasing the profile of the band nationally. In August 2015, the band released the single "H.S.K.T.", which included a remix by Hercules and Love Affair.

In August 2015, the band also released "Jamie's Song", specially recorded for NPR's Radiolab, as a tribute to a story about bipolar disorder. In September 2016 the band released the single "Radio" back with "Kick Jump Twist". A video for the latter appeared in January 2017.

Band members

Sound

The band's music falls into the genres of folk pop, indie pop, and electro folk. "Sylvan Esso combines the organic, folk-like qualities of Meath’s vocals with electronic beats and found sounds engineered by Sanborn (bass player for currently-on-hiatus Megafaun). It,"embraces saccharine synths, bright xylophone tones, and dance beats". The resulting songs are a satisfying stew that is both rich and sparse." The two accomplish a wide span of tone to their music as well. The songs can range from "...moody and dark, and at others bright and bouncy, grounded by dense, hypnotic beats." One reviewer, Hazel Cills, said, " Nick Sanborn’s synth-driven songs merge the traditional structures and vocal harmonies of folk with ethereal and sultry electronica" The messages in the songs also have a wide span from dealing with being cat called to heart breaking love stories. Meath says, "These songs were meant very specifically to be catchy, to appeal to a wide audience..." The two intentionally attempt to use the voice as an instrument so that it becomes difficult to separate the music from the lyrics.

Touring

The band's first tour began on December 30 in the Phillip Island, Australia, Phillip Island Circuit (Beyond The Valley). They continued to tour in Australia until their January 3 show in Northcote, Australia when they then proceeded to play four shows in the U.S. (Atlanta, Charlotte, Charlottesville, and New York), then down to Quintana Roo, Mexico. They then crossed back to Europe for the remainder of their tour until March 2 spanning from Lille to Munich and even to Amsterdam. On March 21, 2015 the two recommenced their tour in Washington. The tour ended April 25, 2015 in Vancouver. In April 2015, Sylvan Esso also performed at both weekends of Coachella. The band also performed at The Firefly Music Festival 2015, in Dover, DE, Wayhome festival in Oro Medonte, Canada and The Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Sylvan Esso played on Friday, July 31, 2015 at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois. The group also performed both weekends of the 2015 Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

Albums

Singles

Remixes