Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso is an American indie pop duo formed in 2013 in Durham, North Carolina, consisting of singer Amelia Meath, also known for the folk trio Mountain Man, and producer Nick Sanborn, previously of the experimental band Megafaun. The pairing began after Meath sang with her folk group at a show Sanborn was also performing at, leading to an invitation to collaborate on a remix that evolved into a full creative partnership.

The duo's sound fuses Meath's clear, folk-rooted vocals with Sanborn's inventive electronic production, blending synth-pop textures, glitchy beats, and unconventional song structures into something distinct from typical dance-pop. Their debut single «Hey Mami» introduced this hybrid approach, and their self-titled 2014 debut album, which reached the Billboard 200, established them as a distinctive voice in the American indie and electronic-pop landscape.

Songs such as «Coffee», «Radio», «Die Young», and «Ferris Wheel» further showcase their knack for pairing hooky, danceable production with introspective and often wry songwriting. Over subsequent albums, Sylvan Esso has continued to explore the space between folk intimacy and electronic experimentation, building a reputation as one of the more inventive acts to emerge from the North Carolina music scene.