It’s been nearly a decade since North Carolina electropop and indie pop duo Sylvan Esso sprung onto the scene with their eponymous debut album, capturing viral buzz for great singles like “Coffee,” “Hey Mami,” and “Play It Right.” Made up of vocalist Amelia Meath (also of folk trio Mountain Men) and producer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Sanborn (former bassist of psych folk band Megafaun, who also makes music under the moniker Made of Oak), the pair mesh both of their respective musical backgrounds, capturing a unique sound that fuses poppy, dance-primed, electronic production from Sanborn with sweeping, earnest, and at time folky vocals from Meath. Across three more studio album, 2017’s What Now (which expanded their popularity with singles like “Radio” and “Die Young”), more introspective 2020 effort Free Love, and, most recently, last year’s excellent No Rules Sandy, the duo have continued to hone and experiment with the sound, all the while touring the world, amassing critical acclaim, and becoming regular fixtures on the festival circuit (just this summer they returned to Bonnaroo, where they’ve been one of our favorite performers over the years).
We’ve seen some excellent Sylvan Esso shows in Nashville over the years, from Cannery Ballroom to Marathon Music Works to The Ryman. Though their last formally-announced Music City show was in 2019, they also played Ascend Amphitheater in 2021 with Phoebe Bridgers and Brittany Howard, as part of a last-minute makeup show after a Covid-delayed September Bonnaroo was rained out, where the duo were set to head up a SuperJam themed around their collaborative, live album, video, and performance project WITH (though they returned to ‘Roo this summer, that would-be SuperJam never happened). For their latest performance in Nashville, in support of No Rules Sandy, Sylvan Esso return to Marathon Music Works tonight, Sept. 21, along with fellow Durham, North Carolina-based DJ and producer GRRL. The best mix of catchy, earnest vocal-forward songs with electropop tones and dance-ready vibes, Sylvan Esso are an absolutely phenomenal live experience, and we encourage you to snag tickets here while they last!
Sylvan Esso and GRRL will perform tonight, Sept. 21 at Marathon Music Works. The show is all ages, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available for $55.24.
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