Sylvan Esso - “Sylvan Esso”

Sylvan Esso’s much-anticipated self-titled debut dropped on May 13, and I haven’t stopped listening since.

These guys are producing some really interesting, enjoyable new music. I’ve already posted about ‘Coffee’ and ‘Play It Right’, and together with ‘Hey Mami’ they are perhaps my three favourite songs of the year so far. The album has only improved my esteem for the duo. Silky smooth and bombastic in equal parts, it’s crammed full of more hooks than a tackle box without ever feeling cramped. Tunes like ‘Wolf’ and ‘Could I Be’ will be tumbling around in your head for weeks to come.

It’s a simple formula with just one vocalist and one producer, but Sylvan Esso’s songwriting is anything but formulaic - indeed, it’s amazing how much variation they manage to produce within their own distinct sound. Nick Sanborn’s work on the synths and beats is impressive, but it’s Amelia Meath’s idiosyncratic vocals that really breathe life into the project. Meath’s background is in largely a cappella trio Mountain Men, and it shows: when she gets a loop pedal happening (and on ‘Come Down’, where she sings a toned-down duet with herself), the effect is stunning.

It’s not a perfect debut, and the missteps are characterised by a reluctance from the duo to expand their minimalist sound. ‘Dreamy Bruises’ seethes along under a tame clacking beat when it had the potential to be a real banger, and ‘H.S.K.T.’ is a little too repetitive and meandering to capitalise on its merits. The hint of softly plucked guitars in ‘Wolf’ and ‘Come Down’ lends refreshing depth, but it’s a path too meekly explored. This is a duo with incredible potential: one can only hope that the future might hold an expansion of their songwriting and their live sound to really showcase their talent.

Witness some impressive musicalism in a live version of ‘Hey Mami’ below, and grab the album if you get a chance. Sylvan Esso are a band to watch.