Episode 147: Sylvan Esso

Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn return to discuss their new album, ‘No Rules Sandy,’ and more.

By Team JamBase Nov 3, 2022 • 11:10 am PDT

Episode 147 of The JamBase Podcast, a partner of the Osiris Media Network, features an interview with Sylvan Esso‘s Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn. The duo spoke with JamBase’s Andy Kahn about their recently released studio album, No Rules Sandy.

This episode marks Meath and Sanborn’s second appearance on The JamBase Podcast. Their last time speaking to Kahn was in April 2021 and for JamBase’s Cluster Flies covers compilation that featured Sylvan Esso’s cover of Phish’s song “Farmhouse.” This time around Meath and Sanborn came on to discuss their fourth album, No Rules Sandy, which came out in August through Loma Vista Recordings.

The chat took place few weeks ago over a video call. Amelia was at home and Nick was at their nearby studio known as Betty’s. The interview touched on No Rules Sandy being the start of a new chapter for the duo and how their first three albums can in some ways be viewed as a trilogy. The title of the album comes from a line in the song “Your Reality,” and the pair were asked if they felt past records were restrained by rules, either formal or figurative.

The album was announced earlier this year and released soon after and they discussed their reasoning behind taking that approach over a more typical, drawn-out album rollout. Having taken place weeks after the album’s release in August, Meath and Sanborn were asked about their feelings now that something so special to them had been out in the world. They were also asked if they ever feel the need to separate themselves as Nick and Amelia from who they are as Sylvan Esso and their responses were both insightful and refreshingly candid.

The interview covered the now-annual cross-country road trip they took from their home in North Carolina all the way to Los Angeles which started on New Year’s Day. When they arrived in L.A. they began recording what became the new album. The pair just wrapped a tour supporting ODESZA and where they played several venues Phish has played over the years. Nick described really cool idea he came up to listen to Phish audience tapes while sitting in the tapers section area of the venue where the recording was made in the 1990s.

Stream Episode 147 of The JamBase Podcast via all major podcast services including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Podcast.