Sylvan Esso shine once ,more on ‘No Rules Sandy’ LP
There’s something essential about being indefinable to the trajectory of a classic group. Sylvan Esso are enjoying their tenth year as a duo and have certainly pigeonholed themselves as a group that knows no bounds. On No Rules Sandy those boundaries are once again chewed up, spat out and delivered into your ears as a gorgeous, sumptuous and altogether enriching piece of pop music.
While the group’s debut album was deliberately flecked with the classic folk vocals of Amelia Meath, this piece feels more like their breakout experimental phase as Meath’s lyrics are distilled into a potent mix of bold expression and universal emotions are effortlessly shaken with Nick Sanborn’s glitching beats, a point made abundantly clear on the opening track of the record, ‘Moving’.
The band have not only successfully managed to release three incredible records with their new LP No Rules Sandy — a sweet nod to the nickname of Sanborn — has now arrived in a flurry of pop-tinged joy, but have managed to actually stay together as a happy and harmonious group for almost a decade. It’s a feat that isn’t lost on the group, as Meath confirms; while many of the band’s formative years were focused on actually gaining a career, looking back, there is more pride to be taken from simply staying together than they once thought: “It was as much of a goal to be able to last ten years or, or to be able to continue doing what we were doing, as it is to make records. So maybe being a band for ten years is an art project on its own.” And the trick to staying together? “The secret is just always telling people how you feel.”
It makes the fact that this album sees the group return to their natural ethos all the more enticing, as Meath explains: “I believe this one feels as close to the first album, as any of them have. I think we’re back just to exploration and expression in a different way than we have been in a long time.” Described as the group’s most personal record yet, the album also functions as one of their most simple, lyrically, which comes with its own complications: “It’s, it’s complicated and hard, but not in the doing things kind of way. It’s just that you have to let yourself be seen,” Meath explains.
“It feels weird sometimes and great other times,” the singer continues, “I think it’s fun, but this album also has the song, like the most embarrassing and strange anthem to asking for attention that I’ve ever written. The songs are so candid and vulnerable that I’m still not used to talking about them. Who writes a song called ‘Look At Me’? There are so many songs on this record that are basically just one line. And it’s just me saying, a very basic human emotion.”
The record is full of such moments too. Not just on ‘Look At Me’ but also on the show-closer ‘Echo Party’ elicits one of the band’s more natural crowd participation moments, showcasing how universal dance music can be for a crowd. Dripping in a city swagger, the track is one of the band’s most effortlessly chic affairs.
Singles ‘Didn’t Care’ and ‘Sunburn’ are more reflective of the group’s unique sonicscape, somewhere between the earthiness of folk and the bouncing boldness of electronica, simply shining your eardrums with a golden shimmer only mirrored in the band’s authentic smiles.
Simply put, if you were hoping to soundtrack this sun-filled weekend with a record guaranteed to make you heart feel as much as your feet dance, then Sylvan Esso have just given it to you.
Listen to No Rules Sandy below.
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