Made of Oak is the solo moniker of Nick Sanborn from Sylvan Esso. Today, he shared the video for “Side Rides,” a track from his project’s debut EP Penumbra, which is out next week. And don’t worry; your headphones aren’t broken. The muted rappers are part of the concept.
“Once I fixated on the idea of making a silent rap video, it kinda haunted me,” Sanborn said in a press release. “Ironically, it ended up saying so much.”
Sanborn’s dreamy folktronic glitch beats recall the genre-less creativity of Four Tet, and the mimed rapping of fellow North Carolinian musicians Well$ and Professor Toon will have you spitting verses in your head in no time.
Penumbra is out November 6 on Partisan.