Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso
Name	Sylvan Esso
Origin	Durham, North Carolina, United States
Years active	2013–present
Members	Amelia Meath; Nick Sanborn
Associated acts	Mountain Man; Megafaun; Sufjan Stevens; Field Music; Lorde

Sylvan Esso is an American electropop duo formed in Durham, North Carolina, combining songwriting, production, and live performance practices rooted in indie rock, folk, and electronic music. The group consists of vocalist and lyricist Amelia Meath and producer-instrumentalist Nick Sanborn, who collaborate across recording, touring, and multimedia projects. Their work intersects with scenes and artists across Brooklyn, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and London, earning attention from publications and festivals worldwide.

History

Meath and Sanborn met through interconnected networks involving Mountain Man, Megafaun, Jack Antonoff, The National, Arcade Fire, and Bon Iver collaborators, later developing a partnership influenced by touring contacts such as Phosphorescent, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, tUnE-yArDs, and Iron & Wine. Early sessions took place in studios associated with Durham Performing Arts Center, KEXP, and Studio 4 (Philadelphia), leading to a debut single that circulated via SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Pitchfork, NPR Music, and Rolling Stone. Their self-titled debut album consolidated attention from outlets including The Guardian, The New York Times, The Fader, Spin (magazine), and Billboard (magazine), propelling appearances at festivals such as Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and SXSW.

Members

Amelia Meath, formerly of Mountain Man and a collaborator with Feist, Vampire Weekend, Beck, Jenny Lewis, and Andrew Bird, serves as lead vocalist and lyricist, contributing performance concepts linked to visual artists and companies like Pace Gallery, Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery (London), and Tate Modern. Nick Sanborn, a producer and multi-instrumentalist tied to projects such as Megafaun, Dawes, St. Vincent, Grizzly Bear (band), and LCD Soundsystem, handles production, arrangement, and instrumentation, with engineering credits alongside producers including Flood (producer), Nigel Godrich, and Rick Rubin. Both members maintain residences and creative bases that intersect with scenes in Durham, North Carolina, Brooklyn, New York, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Musical style and influences

Their music blends elements of electropop, indie rock, folk rock, and dance music, drawing lineage from artists and movements such as Portishead, Massive Attack, Bjork, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, New Order, Talking Heads, Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Spoon (band), The Knife, LCD Soundsystem, Chairlift, Grimes, Robyn, St. Vincent, Fever Ray, Tame Impala, The Postal Service, Hot Chip, The xx, Phantogram, M83, Bon Iver, Sigur Rós, Beach House, Arcade Fire, and The National. Production techniques reflect influences from studios and producers tied to Abbey Road Studios, Sun Studio, Electric Lady Studios, Toe Rag Studios, Conway Recording Studios, Mutt Lange, Mark Ronson, and Brian Eno.

Discography

Albums and releases have been featured alongside catalogs of artists on labels and platforms such as 4AD, Sub Pop, Nonesuch Records, Domino Recording Company, Grand Jury Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Atlantic Records. Key records and singles entered charts tracked by Billboard 200, UK Albums Chart, ARIA Charts, Canadian Albums Chart, Pitchfork review, and Metacritic. Releases have been promoted via Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan (Talk Show), and The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Live performances and touring

Their touring history includes headline runs and festival slots at Bonnaroo, Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Primavera Sound, Roskilde Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival, Governor's Ball Music Festival, Outside Lands, Electric Picnic, Isle of Wight Festival, and Reading and Leeds Festivals. Collaborative live projects have involved stage designers and choreographers linked to Cirque du Soleil, Bob Wilson (theatre director), Marina Abramović, Robert Wilson (stage director), Anish Kapoor, and companies such as Laika (studio), enhancing multimedia presentations at venues like Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Wembley Arena, Royal Albert Hall, and Barclaycard Arena.

Reception and awards

Critical reception spans coverage in Pitchfork, NME, The Guardian, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin (magazine), Stereogum, Consequence (magazine), The A.V. Club, Paste (magazine), Consequence of Sound, Clash (magazine), and Uncut (magazine). The duo has been nominated for and won distinctions from institutions and awards including the Grammy Awards, Brit Awards, NME Awards, Mercury Prize, A2IM Libera Awards, Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, and regional honors administered by North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and Duke Arts Council.

Side projects and collaborations

Members maintain active side projects and collaborations with artists and groups such as Mountain Man, Megafaun, Sufjan Stevens, Lorde, Sylvan Esso side project, Justin Vernon, The National, Nick Hakim, Björk, José González, Aaron Dessner, Bon Iver, Josh Ritter, Angel Olsen, Lucy Dacus, The Tallest Man on Earth, Devendra Banhart, Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, Mitski, Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten, Anderson .Paak, and producers such as James Murphy, Mark Ronson, Dan Auerbach, Danger Mouse, Pharrell Williams, and Rick Rubin.

Category:American musical duos Category:Electronic music groups from North Carolina