Outliers
(debut EP)
05.05.23
The innovators of this world are the rebels and the outliers - those who buck the trend and stand up against the status quo. Did you carve your own mould?
Sylvan Weekends invites you on a whistle-stop tour through the human condition - roll up roll up to explore your own psyche via their debut EP “Outliers”, released May 5th 2023. The band are born from contradiction: London meets wilderness, tech meets off-grid, folk meets electro. The ethos of contrast is seeded through every track and lyric. Nobody fits perfectly into one box and neither does their music.
But does it jar? Or does it open up something new inside of you?
Sylvan Weekends’s debut EP arrives at the end of their intensive, transformative first year.
It begins with ‘Everyday’, delving into the scope of tiny detail that it takes to truly get to know a person. It weaves via ‘Symmetry’, holding a mirror up to the flaws and constant balancing acts inherent in moving through life together with one another. ‘Young & Freewheeling’, reflects a temporary equilibrium, when strength of memories and strength of ambition seem to stretch out with equal lure. ‘Outliers’, the title track, samples Amelia Earhart to ask what it takes to cast off expectations and follow your true path, crescendoing to the finale: ‘185’ is the focus track and climax. It’s an exploration of the excess and chaos of life - and how balancing innocence with hedonism can make the other, all the sweeter.
Formed in the summer of 2022 in the forest; Sylvan Weekends brings together Matthew (folk), Freya (instrumental-electro) & Daniel (rock). Unified vocals from co-writers Matthew & Freya lend a nostalgic feel - one octave up resonates at twice the frequency & both voices together cut through with emotional resonance. The addition of synths & clever percussion drive the songs & make you move.
Assigning a genre is tricky - but getting a tune stuck in your head won’t be.
Matthew fronts successful folk band Keston Cobblers Club with whom he has built an illustrious live career, including an arena support tour with Paul Heaton & Jaqui Abbot of Beautiful South, Bellowhead, selling out Union Chapel as KCC & playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival & Wilderness. His songwriting has earned raucous praise from BBC Legends such as Bob Harris, Dermot O’Leary (“Every song is an absolute killer...They’re terrific”) & Steve Lamacq (“One of the best new discoveries I’ve made”).
Freya has earned a reputation for instrumental music under Freya Lily (“absolutely astounding, a melodic masterclass”) & folk music alike (“like Laura Marling meets Jade Bird”). She’s had regular podcast features on BBC Sounds, & through work as a session vocalist with LCV has performed with legends including Basement Jaxx, The Staves, Imogen Heap, Jools Holland, & more, in a host of epic venues such as The Southbank Centre, EartH Hackney & Barbican.
Daniel has completed 3 studio albums, and 7 European tours as part of folk band Stables (with Matthew), and played festivals across Europe including Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival, during which he’s the king of multi-tasking - falsetto harmonies, ukulele and drums all at the same time.
UK co-headline tour:
05 May - London - St Pancras Old Church Music
07 May - Birmingham - Kitchen Garden
10 May - Brighton - The Folklore Rooms
11 May - Liverpool - The Jacaranda Club
12 May - Newcastle - The Globe
14 May - Bristol - Zed Alley
Headline Germany tour:
07 Sep - Cologne DE
08 Sep - Wernigerode DE
09 Sep - Osnabrück DE
10 Sep - Hamburg DE
11 Sep - Lubeck DE
12 Sep - Steinhude DE
13 Sep - Bonn DE
14 Sep - Remshalden DE
15 Sep - Havixbeck DE
16 Sep - Oberstdorf DE
17 Sep - Munich - DE
18 Sep - Wermelskirchen DE
20 Sep - Bremen DE
21 Sep - Leipzig DE
22 Sep - Berlin DE
23 Sep - Stuttgart DE
@sylvanweekends
www.sylvanweekends.com
instagram - facebook - youtube - tiktok
sylvanweekends@gmail.com
