Sylvan Esso Announce New Album Ow ∞ and Huge 2026-27 Tour

After four years away, Sylvan Esso are ready to return with their most ambitious album yet. Ow ∞, the duo's first new album since 2022 and their first release on their own Psychic Hotline label, arrives on September 11, 2026.

Written and produced by Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, the 12-track album has been in the making since 2022 and brings together one of the biggest communities of collaborators Sylvan Esso have ever worked with. It is also set to be followed by an extensive 2026-27 tour, taking the band across North America, the UK and Japan.

Quick Answer

When is the new Sylvan Esso album released? Ow ∞ is released on September 11, 2026, via Psychic Hotline. It is Sylvan Esso's first album in four years and their first release through their own record label. The album features 12 tracks and will be supported by a major international tour running through 2026 and 2027.

Key Facts

Detail	Information
Artist	Sylvan Esso
Album	Ow ∞
Release date	September 11, 2026
Record label	Psychic Hotline
Previous album	No Rules Sandy
Number of tracks	12
Written & produced by	Amelia Meath & Nick Sanborn
Album recording period	2022-2026
UK dates	Brighton, September 20; London, September 21
Tour	2026-2027
Good Moon Festival	October 8-10, 2026, Durham, North Carolina

Sylvan Esso's Ow ∞ is finally here

There is a lot going on inside Ow ∞.

Sylvan Esso have spent longer writing this album than any previous record, developing and revisiting songs almost every day since 2022 at their Betty's studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The result is an album that promises to be experimental, collaborative and deeply rooted in the duo's electronic pop sound, while pushing it into some less familiar territory.

The album is also significant because it marks a new level of independence for Sylvan Esso. Ow ∞ is their first record released through Psychic Hotline, the label they run themselves, giving Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn complete control over how the music is created and released.

The 12 tracks are:

• Entertainment & Coca-Cola
• Flood Season
• Hot Slob
• Concrete Glen
• Back Again
• Ribbon
• Sledge
• Right to Left
• Good at Pain
• Jessica
• On & On
• Plastic Sword

The album follows 2022's No Rules Sandy and arrives after a four-year gap that has clearly given the duo plenty of time to experiment.

A huge collaborative effort

While Sylvan Esso remains centred around Meath and Sanborn, Ow ∞ expands their musical world considerably.

The record features contributions from musicians including Daniel Aged, BJ Burton, Matt Douglas, Glenn Kotche, Jake Luppen, TJ Maiani, James Mapley-Brittle, Buddy Ross, Jenn Wasner and Joe Westerlund.

There are also six different drummers involved across the album, alongside guitar, bass, keys, vibraphone, woodwinds, organ, piano and electronics. The result is a record that sounds designed to be bigger, stranger and more unpredictable than a straightforward Sylvan Esso production.

The album was recorded at Betty's between 2022 and 2026, with additional recording in Los Angeles, and was mixed by Rodaidh McDonald.

From Hot Slob to Concrete Glen and On & On

Fans have already had a taste of what is coming.

Hot Slob introduced one side of the new album, while Concrete Glen offered something considerably more atmospheric. The latter also incorporates a sample from Sigur Rós' Svefn-g-englar, giving another indication of just how wide-ranging Ow ∞ could be.

The latest preview, On & On, continues that evolution, bringing together Meath and Sanborn with a sizeable group of collaborators.

Rather than simply repeating the formula that made Sylvan Esso such a distinctive force in electronic and indie pop, Ow ∞ appears to be about opening the door and seeing what happens when the duo give themselves more space to experiment.

And after four years without a new Sylvan Esso album, that makes the September 11 release date one worth putting in the diary.

Sylvan Esso hit the road

The release of Ow ∞ is just the beginning.

Sylvan Esso have announced a major run of live dates spanning 2026 and 2027, with shows across the United States, Canada, the UK and Japan. The full-band tour includes major venues including Brooklyn Paramount, The Salt Shed in Chicago, The Wiltern in Los Angeles and First Avenue in Minneapolis.

You can also see the band in the UK in September, with Sylvan Esso heading to Brighton's Resident Music on September

Sylvan Esso Road Trip

Before the main tour gets properly underway, Sylvan Esso are also taking Ow ∞ on the road in a slightly different way.

The Sylvan Esso Road Trip brings the band to record shops and music spaces across the US, with stops in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Brooklyn, Asheville and Durham.

Sylvan Esso Road Trip dates:

• August 28 - Philadelphia, PA - Echo Echo, 6pm
• August 29 - Washington, DC - Byrdland Records, 6pm
• September 3 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Chatroom, 7pm
• September 6 - Asheville, NC - Harvest Records, 2:30pm
• September 9 - Durham, NC - Psychic Hotline Mailroom, 5pm

The road trip is a particularly fitting way to introduce Ow ∞, connecting the album directly with the independent record shops and music communities that sit at the heart of physical music culture.

Full Sylvan Esso tour dates 2026-2027

Following the album's release, Sylvan Esso will embark on an extensive full-band tour.

September 2026

• September 12 - Abiquiu, NM - Blossoms & Bones
• September 20 - Brighton, UK - Resident Music

October 2026

• October 1 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
• October 2-3 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
• October 5-6 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
• October 8-10 - Durham, NC - Good Moon
• October 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
• October 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount
• October 15 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
• October 16 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
• October 17 - Boston, MA - Citizens House of Blues
• October 19 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY
• October 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
• October 22 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed Indoors
• October 23-24 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
• October 31-November 1 - Kakegawa, Japan - Festival de Frue

February-March 2027

• February 19 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
• February 20 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
• February 22-23 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
• February 25 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
• February 26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
• February 27 - Santa Ana, CA - Observatory
• March 1 - Del Mar, CA - The Sound
• March 2 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
• March 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Rockwell at the Complex
• March 5-6 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
• March 8 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater
• March 9 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
• March 11 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
• March 12 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
• March 13 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl

The currently announced dates confirm a substantial run of shows through 2026 and into 2027.

Good Moon Festival returns to Durham

Sylvan Esso's busy 2026 doesn't stop with the tour.

The duo will also return to their hometown of Durham, North Carolina, for the Good Moon Festival, running from October 8-10, 2026.

The festival will take over four venues across Durham, with Sylvan Esso headlining two nights at Durham Performing Arts Center alongside a line-up that includes Tyler Childers, Meshell Ndegeocello, MJ Lenderman, Rodrigo Amarante, Silvana Estrada, Jacques Greene and many more.

It makes for an appropriately huge homecoming after the release of an album that has been years in the making.

Get ready for Ow ∞

Four years is a long time to wait for a new album from an artist you love. In the case of Sylvan Esso, Ow ∞ looks set to make the wait worthwhile.

It is an album built over four years, created on their own terms and surrounded by an unusually large creative community. It also arrives at the start of a touring schedule that will keep Sylvan Esso on the road well into 2027.

For fans of electronic pop, indie, alternative and adventurous modern music, 11 September, 2026 is a date to remember.

And if you're a physical music fan, Ow ∞ is exactly the kind of new release that deserves a place in the collection.

Pre-order Ow ∞ by Sylvan Esso on vinyl and CD at Chalkys.com

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Sylvan Esso's new album Ow ∞ released?

Ow ∞ is released on September 11, 2026 via Psychic Hotline. It is Sylvan Esso's first album in four years.

How many tracks are on Ow ∞?

Ow ∞ contains 12 tracks, including Hot Slob, Concrete Glen and On & On.

Who are Sylvan Esso?

Sylvan Esso are the North Carolina electronic pop duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn. They formed in Durham and have released albums including Sylvan Esso, What Now, Free Love and No Rules Sandy.

What record label is releasing Ow ∞?

Ow ∞ is being released through Psychic Hotline, Sylvan Esso's own record label.

Are Sylvan Esso touring in 2026 and 2027?

Yes. Sylvan Esso have announced an extensive full-band tour across North America and beyond, with dates running from September 2026 into March 2027.

Are Sylvan Esso playing in the UK?

Yes. Sylvan Esso are scheduled to appear at Resident Music in Brighton on September 20, 2026, followed by Rough Trade East in London on September 21.

What is the Sylvan Esso Road Trip?

The Sylvan Esso Road Trip is a series of US stops taking place ahead of the Ow ∞ release, with appearances in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Brooklyn, Asheville and Durham between August 28 and September 9, 2026.