What Now

What Now

Don’t be fooled by Sylvan Esso’s twee sound. The duo’s cheerful, cheeky brand of folk-pop is surprisingly complex, with lyrics that point to a more cynical view of the world. What Now weaves between anxious happiness (“Just Dancing”) and lighthearted sadness (“Slack Jaw”), with most songs floating somewhere in the middle (“Kick Jump Twist” uses synths to toggle between moods). “Radio,” a magnificently meta takedown of cookie-cutter FM radio, is so layered that it borders on parody. Listen to Amelia Meath spit truth in perky, chirpy couplets: “Singin' I've got the moves of a TV queen/Folk girl hero in a magazine/Faking the truth in a new pop song/Don't you wanna sing along?”

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