Sylvan Esso is the Durham, N.C.-repping duo of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, who you might know from the bands Mountain Man and Megafaun, respectively. If you are at all familiar with their previous work, though, don’t expect these two to deliver the folk/rock tunes you’re used to hearing from them.
As “Hey Mami” fully displays, these two have a clear love for beat-driven music fueled by fat-ass bass, catchy and wavering synth lines, and spurts of percussion. They also know a thing or two about creating tension with loops, especially when Sanborn loops Meath’s vocals for nearly 90 seconds before bringing in the backing instrumental.
It’s entertaining and engaging all at once, and I have to admit I’m more than a lil’ aggravated I missed them at Hopscotch last night. Oh well, I did get to have an awesome discussion with them and other musicians about free music, streaming, and other Internet-related topics. But I digress.
You can watch the performance below and you can buy the single on Amazon. [via]