Free Love (album)

Free Love
Studio album by Sylvan Esso
Released	September 25, 2020
Recorded	2019–2020 [1]
Length	29:14
Label	Loma Vista
Producer	Sylvan Esso John Hill
Sylvan Esso chronology
What Now (2017) Free Love (2020) No Rules Sandy (2022)

Free Love is the third studio album by American indie pop duo Sylvan Esso, made up of singer Amelia Meath and multi-instrumentalist Nick Sanborn, released on September 25, 2020, by Loma Vista Recordings. ^[2]

In a September 25, 2020 live listening party on NPR Music, the band stated that the album cover photo is of Nick leaning out of a Koreatown window observing the October 2019 Saddleridge Fire.

In lieu of a large album release party, the band hosted a multimedia art project on their website. The project included a video ^[3] with a 20 minute improvised modular set by Nick (sampling from the album), interviews with music video directors, various art pieces by Nathaniel Russell, an improvised dance by Emma Portner to "Numb", a song dedicated to the band by Jeff Tweedy and a DJ set by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs.

The album was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, except where noted

Free Love track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What If"		1:25
2.	"Ring"		2:37
3.	"Ferris Wheel"	Meath Sanborn John Hill	2:57
4.	"Train"		2:58
5.	"Numb"		4:25
6.	"Free"		2:36
7.	"Frequency"		2:50
8.	"Runaway"	Meath Sanborn Homer Steinweiss	3:01
9.	"Rooftop Dancing"	Meath Sanborn Daniel Kyriakides	3:03
10.	"Make It Easy"		3:19
Total length:			29:14

Personnel

Sylvan Esso

• Amelia Meath – vocals, production, engineering, cover photo
• Nick Sanborn – guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming, production, engineering, lettering

Additional personnel

• Joe Westerlund – drums, voices (2)
• Homer Steinweiss – drums (8)
• Stephen Sanborn – guitar (9)
• Daniel Kyriakides – guitar (9)
• John Hill – production (3)
• Huntley Miller – mastering
• BJ Burton – mixing
• Christopher Leckie – art direction, design

Charts

Chart (2020)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [4]	100
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [5]	12

References

1. Carley, Brennan (September 23, 2020). "Sylvan Esso on 'Free Love,' being married, and looking inward". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 25, 2020.
2. Krol, Charlotte (September 23, 2020). "Sylvan Esso – 'Free Love' review: a sonic tug-of-war that's light on the duo's trademark bops". NME . Retrieved September 26, 2020.
3. "Sylvan Esso – Opening Night YouTube". YouTube . September 24, 2020.
4. "Sylvan Esso Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
5. "Sylvan Esso Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2020.