Sylvan Esso – 10 Year Anniversary Edition (New LP)

Recorded in a little bedroom studio out in Durham, NorthCarolina, Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn’s debut LP asSylvan Esso arrived in 2014 at the juncture of pop andexperimental. Even now, years later, the LP remains anurgent and fitting introduction to a push-and-pull that wouldgo on to inform the duo’s sound – a thoughtful headinessthat also wants you to get out on the dance floor. A blend ofanalog and digital, Meath and Sanborn were twounexpected puzzle pieces fitting together with singularease, producing a ten-track LP that was both minimalist andshimmering, with dark undulations rippling beneath thesynthy-surface and crystalline quality of Meath’s voice.Before all of the international touring and festival headliningand critical acclaim and Grammy nominations, Sylvan Essowas just a shot-in-the dark of musical chemistry gone right.The original album bio for the self-titled presciently sets thestage for the thesis that has gone on to guide Meath andSanborn’s writing since then: “”a collection of vividaddictions concerning suffering and love, darkness anddeliverance”” arriving as “”a necessary pop balm, an albumstuffed with songs that don’t suffer the longstandingcomplications of that term.”” And so, even as the bandcontinues to evolve and becomes amorphous, there’s stillthat argument about what pop can be at it’s core. This is justthe beginning of that conversation captured on tape.In honor of the record’s ten year anniversary, NorthCarolina-based indie label Psychic Hotline will release adeluxe reissue, complete with previously unreleasedmaterial. Featuring essential singles “”Coffee””, “”Hey Mami,””and “”H.S.K.T.””, the expanded edition also includes remixesfrom J Rocc, Rick Wade, Helado Negro, Dntel, and more.The deluxe 2LP package sports an all-over foil inversion ofthe original album’s iconic foil “”SE”” logo.