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Made of Oak Shot a Silent Rap Video for His Glitchy Lullaby ‘Side Rides’

Nick Sanborn, one-half of the synth-folk duo Sylvan Esso, is releasing his solo debut under the moniker Made of Oak next month, and he’s revealed another, introspective album cut with an intriguing twist. The track, “Side Rides,” is a melancholy instrumental — laid-back, gloomy synths brightened by almost eerily nursery-like twinkling sounds.

The video, a stark black and white short, features Well$ and Professor Toon dancing and rapping to Sanborn’s moody melody. We can’t hear what they’re saying — at least for now. Sanborn enlisted the two artists to write lyrics for an upcoming remix of “Side Rides,” but their silent presence in the video is effective.“Once I fixated on the idea of making a silent rap video, it kinda haunted me,” Sanborn said. “Ironically, it ended up saying so much.”

Check out the intriguing short, directed by Endless Endless, and get your first listen of “Side Rides” below, along with Made of Oak’s tour dates. Look for Penumbra on November 6 via Partisan Records.

Made of Oak Tour Dates:
November 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg
November 6 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Club Atrium
November 7 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
November 9 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
November 10 – Seattle, WA @ The Sunset
November 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
November 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
November 17 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
November 18 – Washington DC @ DC9
November 19 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
* = with Tuskha