I was gonna write a song for you/ Gonna sing it out loud/ Gonna sing it at such decibels that/ All you’ll hear is sound and/ All you’ll feel is sound and/ All you’ll be is sound.

This first verse of Sylvan Esso’s new album, “What Now” creates a paradox. The delicate voice of Amelia Meath breaks the ponderous noises that initiate it all and contrasts with the lyrics that suggest a war-cry style anthem. That is what this whole record is, though: The band’s declaration of independence. Debuting at #7 on the iTunes charts, Sylvan Esso solidified their power and resonance as an indie band.  Breaking away from their sonic roots slightly, the duo filled the sound with a new richness. Meath’s voice, once purely fine-china-esque, feels more vulnerable and emotional. Nick Sanborn, the sound guru behind the music, seems a little more experimental. Still every beat is meticulously paced and every word is chosen with meaning. The intent feels to humanize their genre of music: a courageous mix of folk, indie with electropop.

The album, just like many others, takes you on a meandering journey, from melancholy to joyous and even walks the tightrope inbetween. Songs like “Sound,” “The Glow” and “Song” flow like honey. On the contrary, there’s “Rewind,” “Kick Jump Twist” and “Slack Jaw” that represent a more bumpy time of life with their harsh beats. Each track is layered with its own sense of nuance. “Slack Jaw” bounces unsteadily with Sanborn’s small beats and white noise, complementing Meath’s almost-broken sound. Pumping up listeners, “Just Dancing” broke the album’s own mold as a noticably lighter song. It encourages the audience to “never stop starting.”

Sylvan Esso, in essence, brought home all that was left unsaid with their previous album through this secondary release. All the questions about their longevity or passibility are resolved firmly. With their unique personalities shining through in the music, we got a bit closer into the lives of these technobeat-driven artists. They drew out a resilience in their uncensored truth. They actually, probably unintentionally, summarized their actions with the final line of the record, “Do it again/ Light up the room.” The band made it clear that sound is their medium to explore the world.