This album starts off with “Sound”, and to be honest it’s really not the intro that I was expecting at all. On the first Sylvan Esso album I feel like there were so many sort of cheap attempts to come off as edgy. But “Sound” is actually a little bizarre and strange. yes, this was totally ripped kicking and screaming right from the mouth of James Blake, but I commend them for at the very least going for a little more of a left field approach with this intro. Does it come off perfectly? No, not at all, as a matter of fact it comes off a little underwhelming. BUT, it certainly gives me hope for the rest of the album. And instantly my hopes are brought up even higher with “The Glow” The glitchy production on this one is certainly another good step in the right direction. Here, we have Sylvan Esso going for a seriously sweet Indie Pop tune, and they succeed wonderfully. This track overall is packed with adorable moments, but the very glitchy and hectic performance gives “The Glow” a slight edge to it I feel like Sylvan Esso’s debut was often trying way too hard, but THIS is seriously commendable. Yes, it’s super poppy, but little elements here and there like the very cosmic sounding synths and the acoustic guitar strumming through the background make this one SERIOUSLY likable pop tune. The surprisingly heavy “Die Young” is up next, and this track packs one hell of a punch. Right off the bat this one sort of reminds me of the same sort of “hip” electro pop that they were going for on their first album, but with much heavier synths and a seriously very cold groove. The resulting track “Die Young” comes off majestically. Moments like this make “What Now” so much less of an accessible album than their debut, but for me that’s what makes this album so interesting. Plus, I’d much rather dance to this compared to any of their old material. Also, the production on “Die Young” is surprisingly much thicker and not nearly as atmospheric, some of the very 80’s sounding drums in the back are a nice touch as well. Sylvan Esso stay on a serious roll with “Radio” This one is just as much of a curve ball for me, cause “Radio” has a totally different vibe to it. The very whimsical synths are great, and the pulsing beat here I feel like if I heard from any other artist I would be so pissed off with actually comes off seriously nicely. “Radio” as a whole seriously comes off really nicely, and contains some of the punchier lyrics on the album as well as a seriously moody atmosphere. Now, while this album started off as a Pop album, as tracks roll on I feel like it’s becoming more and more what I feel like Sylvan Esso was going for with their debut, and it’s certainly more listenable. So far “What Now” has been packed with constantly shifting synths and memorable lines, this album is taking off quickly.
Now, right when I’m praising Sylvan Esso for making all of these huge leaps, they come out with “Kick Jump Twist”. All I have to say is, haven’t we gotten past this sound? This literally sounds like everything I absolutely hated about the band’s debut. Sylvan Esso here for a few short minutes go right back to trying so desperately to come off as artsy, but fail miserably. The beat here is actually totally fine and acceptable, and as it progresses it becomes a serious banger for the electro pop genre. Honestly it really comes down to me seriously not digging Amelia Meath’s vocal performance here. Here, she goes for this very hip, left field sound and to be honest it just comes off as indirect and seriously boring. The instrumental itself however is interesting enough to make this one listenable, but outside of that this a is a big let down. Thankfully, Sylvan Esso follow that up with one of the most straightforward Synth Pop tunes I’ve heard from the duo with “Song”. Usually, I feel like this acoustic riff floating through the background would be seriously corny. But honestly I’m totally down with this. It’s very sweet sounding and once again Amelia’s performance here comes off very sincere. Plus, I absolutely love the very driving beat here. Tracks like this, straightforward pop tunes with none of this super artsy garbage is seriously a sound that I can really get into when it comes to Sylvan Esso. It’s smooth, it’s got just enough energy, it’s sweet, hell yea this works. Up next is “Just Dancing” and I seriously have to give it to this duo, they’re certainly taking a TON more risks. The beats on tracks like this are so uninviting and really hard to grasp and are even hard for them to sing over. However, this one seriously is a miss for Sylvan Esso. The results of them branching out here is a track that I feel like doesn’t really get started. The instrumentals certainly come off interesting and all here, but vocally I seriously can’t remember a single moment. I feel like this is an old school Yeah yeah Yeahs’ cover or something. But Sylvan Esso really pick themselves up quickly with one of the most engaging tracks here yet, “Signal”. Right from these opening notes we’re dealing with a much dreamier and more sincere sound. It’s smooth, but it also contains some of these much bigger beats that the duo has been working with. Vocally, this continues down the path of some of the more straightforward tracks here. I love the very hazy atmosphere backed by this booming bass, and Amelia’s blaring vocals pierce them come off amazingly. This is clearly more than just some slightly edgy pop, this is Sylvan Esso really getting their sound under wraps and tackling the sounds they tries so desperately to achieve on their debut album.
While the majority of this album is pretty darn solid, “Slack Jaw” shows that Sylvan Esso isn’t ready to completely drop their past. This one comes off just as sort of Synth Pop oriented and straightforward, the comparison of the material here to the material on the last album continues to be jaw dropping. But on this one i’m not nearly as into the vocal performance. Some of these more quiet tracks here come off seriously questionable. So sadly, this track has plenty of potential but doesn’t come off nearly as well as it could. Vocally it’s certainly still sweet and sincere and tender. But instrumentally, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t about two seconds away from falling asleep. Thankfully though, Sylvan Esso go right back to the sound that’s been working for them here for the finale. “Rewind” to every extent is exactly how Sylvan Esso should be approaching their slower tracks. It’s just as sweet and tender, but it’s not sluggish at all, it just just enough going to for it that you’ll not only be fully awake but interest too. Here, the more artsy and colorful vibe comes off so well. There’s also a serious almost tropical vibe to this one that comes off really well. This isn’t exactly a perfect album, but it’s miles better than their debut.
Rating: 7.4/10
Give A Listen To: “The Glow”, “Die Young”, “Radio”, “Signal”
Overall Thoughts: Ok hear me out, I could barely sit through Sylvan Esso's self titled debut, I really couldn't. I felt like there were too many times that Sylvan Esso were trying way too hard to be super artsy and different when they seriously weren't. But between some bigger beats and some more straightforward songwriting, this album is seriously miles beyond what they were doing a few years ago. There are still some major hiccups, mostly in some of the album's softer moments. But overall, yea this is pretty damn good as a Synth Pop/Electro Pop album, and I'm actually interested to see what Sylvan Esso do next.
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