Sylvan Esso releases WDID after removing Spotify catalog

Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso released a new single, WDID, on Sept. 30 and simultaneously removed their catalog from Spotify, saying the move reflected a choice about where they want their music to be available. The track is the duo's first in three years and their first release on Psychic Hotline, the label they launched in 2021. WDID was recorded at the band's studio, Betty's, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with additional production from Jake Luppen, and its visual was directed by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson.

In a statement announcing the removal, Meath and Sanborn said they could not "continue to put our life’s work in a store that, in addition to all its other glaring flaws, directly funds war machines." They framed leaving Spotify as part of asserting control over how their music is distributed now that they are no longer bound by a multialbum record deal. In a separate interview, the duo described the decision as both principled and risky, acknowledging they would likely forfeit significant streaming income in order to pursue what they called a different relationship with listeners. "It feels like an artist taking their music off of Spotify is...