Comprised of Mountain Man‘s Amelia Heath (vocals, synths) and Megafaun‘s Nick Sanborn (synths, programming, production) the renowned indie electro pop duo Sylvan Esso have dominated the blogosphere for a sound that was a decided change of direction for fans of their previous projects — as they would pair Heath’s coquettish vocals with a slick and minimalist production featuring propulsive and undulating grooves, shimmering synths and enormous, tweeter and woofer rocking beats.
Towards the end of last year, the duo released the “Radio”/”Jump Kick Start” single — and if you had been frequenting this site around that time, you’d know that “Radio” had quickly become a staple of their live sets and a fan favorite, while being a brash, refinement of their sound as Heath’s vocals take on a self-assured sultriness paired with Sanborn’s propulsive, dance floor-friendly production featuring cascading layers of synths, wobbling low end and stuttering drum programming. “Jump Kick Start” the B side of the “Radio”/”Jump Kick Start” continues on a similar vein as the preceding single as Heath’s self-assured coos are paired with a stuttering and shuffling production featuring electronic bleeps and bloops, twinkling synths and analog crackling in what may be one of their most radio and dance floor-ready songs they’ve released to date.
Directed by Mimi Cave, the recently released music video follows a lithe and impressionist dancer, Gary Reagan, whose movements reflect a chaotic, uncertain energy. Interestingly, as the direct explains in press notes “We shot the video two days after the election, and we were all very much having our own processes with what had happened. Everything was so fresh that the crew’s moods were generally a mix of deer-in-headlights, sadness and anger. At the same time, we couldn’t help but feel a visceral excitement and connection to seeing Gary dance his heart out all day. It was like he was channeling all our chaotic energy into every take.”
