Sylvan Esso Knows How To “Play it Right”: An Energetic Ending of September and the Folktronica Duo’s “No Rules Sandy” Tour @ MGM Fenway 9/30

Graphic by Cate Banks

By Cate Banks

The first time I listened to a Sylvan Esso song was the last night I spent in the house of my middle school years–the floors emptied and walls cleared. The only thing left was a disco ball dragged up from the basement and hung from a ceiling fan. That final evening we invited friends over to celebrate new beginnings; what was supposed to feel empty suddenly became magical. Dancing under those lights as “Coffee” by Sylvan Esso played, we embraced the chaos, still young enough to do so. Soon enough I understood what the excitement was about— the world blurred together and as I sat there listening to the folktronica tunes of Amelia Meath (vocals) and Nick Sanborn (production), my life spiritually shifted.  From then on they accompanied my every struggle and good time; they immediately became the most comforting, creatively inspiring, and most soul-healing artist in my life. Sanborn began as an electronic producer under the name “Made of Oak'' and Meath originated her musical being from the folk trio “Mountain Man;” from then on we as listeners have gotten the utmost privilege of living at the same time as a duo that has perfected the harmonic complexities and melodic foundations of their upbringings into the most magical form of audible artistry streamable now. Not only is their talent evident in the recordings of their works but I would argue that it is even more so from their live performances.

Cut to Sept. 30, 2023, when I had the privilege to see Sylvan Esso for a second time as they finished off their “No Rules Sandy'' tour in Boston at MGM Fenway. Their newest album is a steady transition from the softer-spoken Free Love (2020) album but still stays rooted in a unique blend of digital dance and folk-alternative. For the final show in Boston, Sanborn, the duo’s producer, was stationed at a soundboard station decked out in a tangle of chords, plugs, buttons and lights galore that make the non-experienced gearhead feel like they should be in a spaceship–the vocalist, Meath, entered as she always does, mysteriously so, after the intensely chaotic mixed intro of Sanborn’s live producing. They started the night off with the experimental chaotic beats of “Alarm” and synchronized light poles creating an environmental palette cleanser for the audience in preparation for the surgical techno that was about to erupt. This explosion was done through the heartbeat of their Free Love (2020) album, “Train,” which raised the bar for the night at an already impressive rate. One notable characteristic of their entrance was the energy they brought to this last show of their three month tour; while it was evident that Meath’s voice had less purity in tone than it usually does, what she lacked in vocal abilities she made up for in performance and synchronicity with Sanborn. 

They began introducing their classic sound with “Dress” and “Kick Jump Twist,” immediately followed by “Die Young”; all of which originate from their first two albums and rang with just as much dreamy execution as they do in the recordings. “Kick Jump Twist” specifically elevates Meath and Sanborns personality with intense bass patterns, rapidly changing drum kit loops, and raving synths that build upon Meaths waving vocals–when I first saw them live, this song most stuck out to me in that it carries a certain persona when seeing it in person. There is an intrigue with this song that Sanborn and Meath throw around and toss to the audience to see if they are able to pick it up. I most certainly did. 

“Didn’t Care” highlighted their newest album and provided us with one of their most (production wise) polished songs to come out as of late. “Frequency” followed, which was a perfect opportunity for the bright-eyed hipsters to connect with each other as it remains one of the duo’s most emotionally pertinent and universally comprehensive songs; the transitional bass following the chorus, as always, shakes every bone in the room and hushes the crowd like none other. For just a few seconds, it seems the entire audience freezes in their attention and Sylvan Esso somehow manages to not only stop life but in a way curate it for everyone to experience together–in that moment. However, the movement came back with the mystical flute-like melodies behind “How Did You Know” and their rawest tune “Uncatena.” Blinding strobes in an assortment of colors then faded away to highlight a gentle, non-gelled backlight haloing Sanborn’s silhouette. The spotlight was all on him at this halfway point, introducing what I would dictate as their showstopper, “Numb.” Out of all of the pieces that were done both at this show and the one I went to in 2021, this performance continues to replay in my head. It was a perfect representation of their brand–Meath freely losing herself to the music, quite factually “shaking out the numb” and guiding us all into a sense of expressive freedom while Sanborn, boisterous as always, conducted the sound, skillfully weaving pieces together for Meath to dance along to, accomplishing an otherworldly synergy. This symmetry continued through their sky-like visuals and heavenly vocals behind “Cloud Walker,” which ended up being a new favorite of mine after seeing it live on stage as well as “Just Dancing” which is a beloved tune that lived up to its adoration. By now it was time for more Sylvan Esso classics that longtime followers, such as myself, could indulge in; “Hey Mami,” “Radio,” and “Coffee” were the holy trinity of the night for all those hunting that nostalgia and consolation so commonly found within the duo’s debut melodies. The energy picked right back up with their newest experimental catch, “Echo Party,” which has deemed itself the core of their latest album–its hollow echoes, hiccuped syntax, and cloudy spins bring the listener through a cinematic and surreal exhibit of sound which none of their other songs have achieved in the same way. A very unique experience for a very unique song–just what I expect from them as artists and performers. 

The encore was quickly enacted with “Rewind” and which transitioned into their 2018 single they collaborated with Collections of Bees on, “Funeral Singers.” I could of hypothesized some of their other heartwarming, lightly produced, and emotionally impactful songs would have ended the concert, such as “Come Down,” “Your Reality,” or “Rooftop Dancing,” but hearing Meath’s voice sing “Funeral Singers” live was not only unexpected, but the highlight of the evening. Meath’s soft yet powerful voice singing, “a spark is achin’ for the light, return, return, return tonight,” has been hauntingly ringing in my ears since and I can’t seem to get it out. Perhaps it was their stage presence that made such an impact or their skillful musicality or maybe it was the group of three people hugging each other with white knuckles throughout the entirety of the tune; possibly it could have been the two lovers to my left failing to break eye contact from the trance the song produced or I guess it could have also been the preschool-aged daughter spinning under her fathers hand; the older couple with closed eyes leaning on each others shoulders beside me might have had an impact too… Maybe it was all of the love and connection and emotion and synergy concocting in that room all together. It was a truly incredible, moving, and irreplaceable moment of music I will cherish forever. As a not-incredibly-emotional individual who struggles to connect with their inner monologue and sentimentality, I can confidently say that those tears I cried during this song truly weren’t from anything other than the unbelievable magic of Sylvan Esso and the power Meath and Sanborn hold through their audible strength. 
Prior to the start “Numb” Meath explained how it was a “song or a spell, about how to move to empathy–it is a doorway on how to feel things” and after having time to process, I would argue that this is the purpose behind all of their songs. They ended the night with “Make it Easy,” which was a recharge for us all. Sanborn somehow managed to perfectly time the intensity of the synthetic bass with all emotion left in us at that point only to let us go in a most perfectly bittersweet ending. The entire show, start to finish, was a beautiful experience of the Sylvan Esso sound. When people say they want to “feel” music, Sylvan Esso shows you exactly how to.