A few weeks back Sylvan Esso took us on a “Ferris Wheel” ride, and it spun into one of the more defining songs of the summer. Its video aesthetic helped that push, with Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn out in an abandoned amusement park.
Today (August 11), they continue to capture a mood for 2020 with “Rooftop Dancing”, a minimal electronic-pop tune augmented by its video scenes of New York City life during the pandemic. The visual was filmed and directed by street photographer and filmmaker Cheryl Dunn.
“’Rooftop Dancing’ is about the excitement of being part of a collective humming whole — a city that contains multitudes — with your small story shining softly amidst it,” the duo state. “Cheryl Dunn was a natural first choice to make the video since she has been so brilliantly capturing the spirit of NYC for years. We are so grateful to her for collaborating with us and giving us a beautiful slice of what the city feels like today.”
It’s reflective of a moment, and could be any city across the country as COVID-19 shapes our relationship with the outdoors during the summer months.
“To me this song reflects the social climate of NY right now,” says Dunn, “with its historical resilience to re-invent — to create new things from the discarded, to take back the streets, to not dwell on what you can’t do but to get excited about what you can do… like riding bikes en masse, making guerrilla art shows by the river, making more art and music — and yes — dancing on the roof tops!”
Sylvan Esso release new album Free Love on September 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.
Shout it from the rooftops.