Coffee

One of my favorite ways to discover new music is through NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. A few years ago, I heard Sylvan Esso’s turn at the fabled desk and listened to the performance again as soon as it ended. And then again. The banter between the artists and NPR workers is always a little awkward at these shows—with singer Amelia Meath it was endearingly so. But the music seemed tailor-made for me: a gorgeous voice paired with an electronic beat. 

I immediately bought their debut album and have been thrilled with every new song released since (including last month’s PARAD(w/m)E). I’ve also been lucky to see Sylvan Esso several times live, and they never disappoint. Everything they create is worth your time, but I wanted to start by going back to the song “Coffee” as a primer for all things Sylvan Esso. 

That gorgeous voice paired with a great beat? They’re so much more than that. Amelia’s voice rivals any singer in any genre, and she’s as good live as she is recorded. There’s no manipulation or correction happening to her vocals. Nick Sanborn’s inventiveness with beats, sounds, and samples complements and adds to Amelia’s strength as a singer. Putting a pretty voice with a dance track isn’t anything new, but with Sylvan Esso it feels that way. 

The single “Coffee”—the band’s well-known lore states that this was the first song they collaborated on together from beginning to end—exemplifies their strengths as artists. You’ll sing and dance along as Amelia considers loves lost and gained through the lyrics.

It’s been three years since that Tiny Desk Concert, and Sylvan Esso was recently nominated for their first Grammy. They didn’t win, but if their prolific and consistently good work the last few years are any indication of what’s to come, I’ll be singing and dancing with Sylvan Esso into old age.   

p.s. Another great podcast for deeper dives into music is Song Exploder—Amelia and Nick deconstructed “Coffee” on an episode in 2015. Their conversation reveals not only the lyrical inspiration for the song, but how they created the beats with the vocals. 
 

(Promotional photo from Sylvan Esso's early days.)