Sylvan Esso (the duo of Amelia Meath and Wisconsin native Nick Sanborn) are firmly in a new era of their accomplished career, marked by last September’s single “WDID” — the first music released solely on their record label. On Wednesday, they dropped their second track on that label and laid out touring plans that include an Oct. 21 show at the Riverside Theater.
The pair described their brand new single as “proudly messy and fiercely alive,” which sounds about right for something titled “Hot Slob.” It definitely falls toward the more instrumental (vs. digital) side of Sylvan Esso’s sound, with TJ Maiani of Weyes Blood assisting on drums and Jenn Wasner from Flock of Dimes pitching in vocals.
There’s defiant energy in the track, from the blasts of noise in the verses to the “jump up and down” explosion of the choruses. According to a release from the band, the single “previews much to come this summer,” which we always hope includes plans for more new music when it comes to Sylvan Esso. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, we can confidently say “Hot Slob” will be all kinds of fun to experience live, and thank goodness we don’t need to wait too long for that. Tickets for the band’s concert Oct. 21 at the Riverside Theater will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. this Friday, June 12, online via AXS and at the Pabst/Riverside box offices.
Artist bio
Sylvan Esso is a band from Durham, North Carolina. Across their career, Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn have put out four acclaimed albums, been nominated for two GRAMMYs and collaborated with a wide-ranging, eclectic community of artists, including Arooj Aftab, Maggie Rogers, Tyler Childers, Reyna Tropical, Califone and many more.
Ushering in a new chapter of freedom and independence, comfort and consideration, expansive collaboration and complete control, new single “Hot Slob” follows Sylvan Esso’s choice to move their work to their own indie label Psychic Hotline this past fall.
Recorded at their studio Betty’s in Chapel Hill, N.C., “Hot Slob” is built around the central tension and tightrope walk that have forever guided the songwriting of Meath and Sanborn — a push-and-pull of the physical and existential, cerebral and instinctual, from dance floors to dark corners.
