There are a lot of male-female electronic duos out there. Some are good; others are bad. There’s definitely a difference between the good ones and the bad ones.
Side-project-turned-day-job Sylvan Esso is one of the good ones. Composed of Mountain Man vocalist Amelia Meath and Megafaun bassist Nick Sanborn, Sylvan Esso’s roots lie more in folk-rock than in bass drops. Yet upon first listen of their ear-grabbing single, “Coffee,” it becomes apparent that the pair has an instinctive spark about them.
“Coffee” is simple, yet addictive. Instead of shooting for a complicated blend of bleeps and bloops, Sanborn sticks with an extremely minimal, effective beat. Meath works in similar fashion, slyly easing over Sanborn’s artificial pulse more effortlessly than a barista whipping out cups of joe.
Every sonic aspect of “Coffee” signals warmth. And similar to male-female electronic duos, there’s a big difference between good, warm coffee and bad coffee; you sure as heck won’t find Sylvan Essos at a McCafé.