Sylvan Esso are back with a new song, “WDID,” and with it, news of their departure from Spotify. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn are releasing the single on their own label, Psychic Hotline, and have vowed to cut ties with “a store that, in addition to all its other glaring flaws, directly funds war machines,” as they put it in a statement. Listen to “WDID” below.
The duo’s exit from Spotify is the latest in a string of departures set off, in June, by Deerhoof, in a move backed by their label Joyful Noise. Those to follow suit have included Hotline TNT, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Xiu Xiu, and—if their intended removal goes ahead—Massive Attack. Those artists have primarily cited Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s investment, through his Prima Materia venture capital firm, in the weapons contractor Helsing. In an apparently unrelated move, the streaming giant announced today that Ek would transition from the role of chief executive officer to executive chair.
Meath and Sanborn said in their statement:
Sylvan Esso released their last album, No Rules Sandy, in 2022 via Loma Vista. Psychic Hotline will release “WDID” on 12″ vinyl on January 9, backed by the B-side “Keep On.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source pitchfork.com ’
