Synergy is a word that packs a helluva punch in the music industry – its bigness reserved for those extra special occasions, a total “wow” moment when the music just gels. In Echo Drop and their inaugural single, “Let it Burn,” it’s evident that synergy has finally met its … well, you know. 

The levels to which bandmates Jillian and Sean Mitchell augment the word is palpable. The marriage of voice and drums, for instance (her, a soulful chanteuse with a ’90s-rock edge; him, a groove-oriented drummer drawing from world-inspired rhythms) encompasses the heart of their music. The result is a sound that’s both primal and yet surprisingly current– the kind of musical marriage that screams “better together.” 

(Btw, it’s right there in their band name: “voice” [echo] and “drums” [drop a beat].)

And then there’s a level of synergy that comes from their actual marriage (yes, they’re a couple, not siblings). And though some would caution against inter-office romances (Lindsey and Stevie come to mind; The White Stripes, too) in the duo’s case, it proves a recipe for authenticity and art at its most raw. Because outing your true feelings about your spouse to your spouse – and to the world – takes straight-up guts. And, really, isn’t that the kind of guts we all aspire to have?

The couple describes their vibe as a “post-Pill Alanis meets Florence + The Machine, with a dash of Jessie J” and yet their alchemy and connection show them making detours into their own signature sound of electronic pop and indie rock, with commanding drum grooves and soaring, vulnerable vocals. Songs of love and heartbreak, self-realization, and human equality take the listener on a journey of the couple’s musical influences and their relationship (which survived extensive touring all over the world), and their writing reflects all the edges with which they like to push and play. 

Speaking of heartbreak, yes, the lead single “Let it Burn” is a heartbreak song, offering a glimpse into the couple’s early days of their then-on-again-off-again relationship. But it’s more than that – it’s truth-telling through artistically uninhibited and ingenious indie-rock, bare enough to honor the group’s humble beginnings, at an impromptu coffee shop performance with an ice bucket, a drummer and a mezzo-soprano (for which they received rave reviews), and yet polished enough to showcase their matured artistry with ambient melodic structures aptly complementing the voice-drum foundation. And as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke … leave it the hell alone.

A project highlight, the single was crafted under the mentorship of Juno-nominee Emm Gryner (recording artist, David Bowie), whose alluring piano performance serves as the backbone of the track. 

Some might say that “Let it Burn” is akin to a painting you just can’t stop looking at, something different to draw you in further with each listen. With thick, heavy drums as the base coat, vibrant colors of strings, synth soundscapes, and mesmerizing vocals (and that gosh-darn hooky “ooh-ooh na-nah”)  two words inevitably come to mind: more, please.