Sylvan Esso is the electronic indie pop duo of Amelia Meath (also of Mountain Man) and Nick Sanborn (formerly of Megafaun), formed in Durham, North Carolina in 2013. Folk phrasing run through gorgeous electronic production — start with What Now (2017) or the 2014 debut. Browse Sylvan Esso vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Sylvan Esso formed in Durham, North Carolina in 2013 around Amelia Meath (formerly of the folk trio Mountain Man) and Nick Sanborn (formerly of Megafaun, the Justin Vernon-adjacent folk-rock band). They are married. They have been associated with the contemporary indietronica scene. They launched their own Psychic Hotline label in 2020. They have continued releasing material across multiple decades. They established the Day for Night festival series in Asheville/Durham.
Sylvan Esso's sound combines electronic, indie pop, indietronica, synth-pop, alternative dance, and dance-pop with Meath's distinctive vocal delivery (use of folk-influenced phrasing transformed through electronic production), Sanborn's signature electronic production approach, and lyrical content addressing relationships, gender politics, and personal experience drawing on contemporary indie pop and indietronica traditions.
Partisan Records, Loma Vista, and Psychic Hotline pressings of the Sylvan Esso catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Sylvan Esso typically start with What Now (2017) or Sylvan Esso (2014).
