Weeks after unveiling plans for its independently curated Good Moon Festival, the Durham, N.C., Sylvan Esso has debuted “Hot Slob,” the duo’s first new music of 2026 and a clear signal that a new album cycle is beginning to take shape.
The track arrives amid a period of reinvention for Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn. As previously reported, the pair spent much of the last year building toward a more autonomous future through their Psychic Hotline label and creative ecosystem, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for Good Moon.
Recorded at the duo’s Betty’s studio in Chapel Hill, “Hot Slub” pushes Sylvan Esso’s signature blend of electronic experimentation and pop immediacy into more chaotic territory. Its driven by pounding rhythms, distorted textures and one of Meath’s most acerbic vocal performances to date. Weyes Blood drummer TJ Maiani joins the recording alongside Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak/Flock of Dimes/Bon Iver, who contirbutes bass, guitar and vocals.
The release follows the duo’s decision last year to bring their work fully under the Psychic Hotline umbrella, a move that gave them complete control over how and when they release music. At the time, the pair hinted that new material was already underway, with Meath telling SPIN, “we’ve been really delving into late ’90s breakbeat music. Lots of Boards of Canada, Beck’s Odelay and Madonna’s Ray of Light. A huge influence for me is Soul Coughing, who are wizards of sampling. We’re essentially creating those samples for ourselves and sampling ourselves on our own record.”
Sylvan Esso is also returning to live duty. Beginning June 15, the band will host a sold-out weeklong residency at Los Angeles’ Sid the Cat Auditorium, where it will workshop new material and rehearse with its largest touring configuration to date. That expanded ensemble will then hit the road for a North American trek stretching across 2026 and into 2027, beginning Oct. 1 in Atlanta.
Here are Sylvan Esso’s tour dates:
June 15-16, 18-20: Los Angeles (Sid the Cat Auditorium)
June 17: Los Angeles (Sid the Cat Auditorium, Psychic Hotline DJ Night)
July 11: Winnipeg, Manitoba (Winnipeg Folk Festival)
July 31: Burlington, Vt. (Burlington Waterfront Park)
Sept. 12: Abiquiu, N.M. (Blossoms & Bones)
Oct. 1: Atlanta (The Eastern)
Oct. 2-3: Asheville, N.C. (The Orange Peel)
Oct. 5: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Oct. 8-10: Durham, N.C. (Good Moon)
Oct. 12: Philadelphia (Franklin Music Hall)
Oct. 14: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Paramount)
Oct. 16: Portland, Maine (State Theatre)
Oct. 17: Boston (Citizens House of Blues)
Oct. 19: Toronto (HISTORY)
Oct. 21: Milwaukee (Riverside Theater)
Oct. 22: Chicago (The Salt Shed Indoors)
Oct. 23-24: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Feb. 19: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)
Feb. 20: Vancouver (Vogue Theatre)
Feb. 22-23: Portland, Or. (McMenamins Crystal Ballroom)
Feb. 25: Oakland, Ca. (Fox Theater)
Feb. 26: Los Angeles (The Wiltern)
March 1: Del Mar, Ca. (The Sound)
March 2: Phoenix (The Van Buren)
March 4: Salt Lake City (Rockwell at the Complex)
March 5: Denver (Ogden Theatre)
March 8: Austin, Texas (ACL Live at The Moody Theater)
March 9: Dallas (House of Blues)
March 11: New Orleans (Tipitina’s)
March 12: Birmingham, Al. (Iron City)
March 13: Nashville (Brooklyn Bowl)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.spinmagazine.com ’
