She’s Wildewoman #8: Free Love

Oct 22

A Review of Sylvan Esso’s Latest Release

By Allison Parssi

Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn crossed paths by chance in 2010. Both on a bill at the Cactus Club in Milwaukee, Meath was performing with her acapella folk band, Mountain Man. Sanborn, performing as his solo act Made of Oak, was a last minute addition. The way Sanborn danced on stage while performing was Meath’s clue that the two would become instant friends. When Mountain Man wanted a song remix two years later, Meath sent him the vocals to “Play It Right” and Sylvan Esso was born.

Fast forward eight years, the Durham, North Carolina based duo has grounded themselves in their third full length album Free Love. The record is expansive and beautiful, showing their natural growth as musicians and as human beings - not feeling the pressure of needing to prove themselves or fit into a mold. Previously having more compartmentalized roles - Meath being the energetic lyricist and vocalist, with Sanborn being the “math-born production wizard” - their jobs have gradually merged over the years. Now married and working in a home studio, the duo spends more time side-by-side in the music writing process, with Meath specifically stepping into more of a co-producer role.

The two were immensely influenced by their experience touring with a ten piece band in 2019. Reworking their musical arrangements and live performance to include other musicians allowed them take a step back from the immediate spotlight. They sequenced their live set in new ways, cut popular tracks, and intentionally held quiet moments throughout their performance. On Free Love, they are empowered to make these elements a permanent part of their creative process. The first example being their opening track, “What If.” The song is the perfect symbolic allusion to their sophomore record What Now, and highlights their shift in perspective between the records. The phrase “what now” comes from a place of fear and apprehension, whereas “what if” makes space for dreaming and possibility. Meath’s voice remains steady as the minimal production swells behind her, emerging from chaos and putting emphasis on her whimsical storytelling.

While Sylvan Esso is known for pairing gloomy, dystopian lyrics with off-center, danceable beats, Free Love is more introspective as Meath looks at the different kinds of love she’s experienced throughout her life. The lead single “Ferris Wheel” is certainly a highlight, holding on to their familiar dance production fans have come to know. In a song meant to be a summer anthem, Meath sings about being a teenager and the power that comes from discovering one’s sexuality. The accompanying music video is an explosive complement to the track. Meath dances against the bright lights and chaotic elements of a carnival that serve as a visualization of the tangled and conflicting coming-of-age feelings. The subtle, unconventional dance rhythms continue through tracks “Train” and “Numb,” underneath lyrics about struggling to be understood and working through anxiety, respectively.

“Free” is the album’s gentle and magical centerpiece, that also serves as a transitional point in the record. Meath sings about the various ways loving someone and being loved by someone is perceived. Before the lyrics start, the duo exchange I love yous - Sanborn’s first and barely audible, followed by Meath’s abrupt reply. In those two seconds, it shows how the phrase can take on different meanings in the same moment. Meath continues as if she is reciting a poem, softly carrying a melody over the bare instrumentation of the track. These elements invite the audience in on an intimate level - carefully listening, not wanting to miss a word. The minimal nature of the track gave Sanborn room to experiment more in the production process. He decided to send the entire mix through an FM transmitter, which was then played back and recorded over a boombox. This metaphysical production aspect supports the lyrical concept of the track. It releases the mix to be distorted by invisible wavelengths to come back and be received by the listener.

“Frequency” holds a particular weight on the album and is a b-side highlight. Another track with minimal production elements, Meath created a very specific narrative of a young girl infatuated with a radio DJ despite only ever hearing her voice. It is a song of yearning, something that is poignant amidst our lengthening period of isolation. This song is also the first time Meath references her own bisexuality in Sylvan Esso’s music. The song’s music video, directed by Moses Sumney, is another beautiful visualization of the band’s message.

While a first cursory listen through the winding topics and instrumental energies can make Sylvan Esso seem distracted, the reality is quite the opposite. The pair are hyper-focused on creating emotional arcs before musical ones. Free Love is a reaction to the anxiety-inducing state of the world, while remembering that love and connection is what will carry us through to the end.

Recommended if you like: Lucius, Moses Sumney, Wye Oak, Local Natives, Vagabon, POLICA

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NEW MUSIC RECS:

Fantasy Metal - Cardioid

Agüita - Gabriel Garzón-Montano

Late Night Tales: Hot Chip - Hot Chip (and others)

Before - James Blake

Sour Lemon EP - Local Natives

Renegade Breakdown - Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu

Big Dreaming Ants - Nana Adjoa

Anime, Trauma, Divorce - Open Mike Eagle

The Sharecropper’s Daughter - Sa-Roc