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89. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso (2014)

Electro - Pop

Sylvan Esso’s eponymous debut (2014) is another truly unique entry in the catalog of the 2010s. Somehow sounding decades old and from the future at the same time, the North Carolina duo carefully assume a position all their own amidst a sea of dreamy electro-pop outfits all vying for eardrums. The album is largely minimal, with Amelia Meath’s decidedly folk-influenced vocals playing with producer Nick Sanborn’s sparse electronic beats. The songs tiptoe along, eloquently maintaining a balance atop the fence that separates two rarely married styles.

Meath’s vocals demand the lion’s share of the attention. She exudes a sultry sweetness and an odd but striking and disarming familiarity. Her lyrics skillfully skewer some less savory aspects of society, including cat-calling (“Hey Mami”) and technology addiction (“H.S.K.T.”). I remember being immersed the first time I heard “Coffee” on the radio. It paints a vivid and elegantly delicate picture of the awkward emotionality of adolescence, torn between longing for closeness while still clinging to innocence. 

*image; cover art for the album Sylvan Esso by the artist Sylvan Esso