Indie folk trio Mountain Man debuted in 2009 with their album Made The Harbor – a record that seems to have been influenced by Appalachian folk, Celtic ballads, and other genres I have absolutely no experience with. Regardless of my limited perspective on those musical genres, Made The Harbor is an album that felt so right, natural and absolutely beautiful.

Fast-forward to 2013 and one-third of Mountain Man, Amelia Meath, launched a new electronic-pop duo, Sylvan Esso, with Nick Sanborn of Megafun. I’ve been a die-hard fan of Sylvan Esso for a few years, and it wasn’t until recently that I even knew about the very existence of Mountain Man and before hearing their music I imagined them having Sylvan Esso’s electro-indie-pop vibe, but with 3x the girl power.

At first, listen I was taken aback by how real and raw Mountain Man’s music was. The harmonies gave me immediate goosebumps, and it was almost as if I was transported back to when I heard Sylvan Esso’s first single “Coffee,” and truly felt deep in my gut “this is real music.”

Today, 9 years after their debut album, Mountain Man has come back together to release Magic Ship on Nonesuch, a record that deserves to be played from beginning to end, and then over again. If you’re listening to them for the first time- keep an open mind. Fans of Sylvan Esso will still love Amelia’s cooing and hiccuping trill of a voice, and your sixty-something-year-old uncle in Vermont will love that folk music is still a genre being created by “the youngins.”

Buy your copy of Magic Ship on vinyl today. It’s well-worth the spin.