Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn Announces New Solo Project Made of Oak

Made of Oak’s new solo project, Penumbra, has been unveiled. Fueled by “imperfect and wild “ emotions, the debut EP features five resonating tracks penned by North Carolina’s Nick Sanborn, producer for the indie pop duo Sylvan Esso.

The press release poetically notes:

The same phosphorescent weight found in Nick Sanborn’s work as half of Sylvan Esso is manifest on Penumbra, Sanborn’s debut EP under the name Made of Oak. Bittersweet hooks float through weighted bass while personal textures click, strum, and breathe, giving a tense intimacy to his melodies. Nick is an unconventional producer who combines these elements with deftness and tact, using a palette he has spent years creating. The results are catchy, aching, and deeply satisfying. Movements disappear and bloom again, threads unwind and rewind, melodies sink in and disperse as a new picture finds form. Moments of release are actually audible; the flawed sigh of a human pulse gratefully giving in to the mathematical throb of the beat. The result is a work of real-time conflict and upheaval.

The solo debut follows Sylvan Esso’s cryptic social media posts, giving truth to the rumors of a new release. Penumbra promises to be a raw manifestation of Sanborn’s “emotional instinct to liberate himself from his own confining patterns and forge ahead; a result of discovering that it is impossible to have perspective on yourself if you’re standing still.”

Penumbra
01. Pinebender
02. Side Rides
03. Penultra (When I See You)
04. Blue Zipper

After Penumbra’s worldwide release through Partisan Records on November 6, 2015, Sanborn launched a U.S. tour, hitting the country’s most iconic cities. Listen to the teaser that highlights Sanborn’s ambient whirling tones and check the concert dates to see when Made of Oak is performing in a city near you.

Nick Sanborn Fall 2015 Tour Dates

Nov 05: Los Angeles, CA – The Bootleg

Nov 07: San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill

Nov 09: Portland, OR – Doug Fir

Nov 10: Seattle, WA – The Sunset

Nov 13: Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right

Nov 16: Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle

Nov 17: Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery

Nov 18: Washington DC – DC9

Nov 19: Durham, NC – The Pinhook