Sylvie Benson '25 Releases Debut EP

On July 17, Sylvie Benson '25 released The Source, her debut singer-songwriter EP. Benson, who performs under the mononym sylvie, describes the record as "a five-track song cycle that draws from ecofeminist ideas, fatherly wisdom, the tragedy known as investment banking, Enya, folk and psychedelic rock, and the stories of eccentric old women."

Each of the EP's tracks was written, produced, and performed by Benson, who collaborated with several music department colleagues on the project. Raegan Padula '24, an alum and fellow music major, mixed and co-produced the EP, while Senior Lecturer Sang Wook "Sunny" Nam provided mastering and sonic practice M.F.A. student Ivy Fu designed the record's cover art. 

At Dartmouth, Benson is pursuing a music major modified with English. She wrote the EP's title track, "The Source," in MUS 3.03 (American Roots: Roots and Revolutionaries), taught by Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music Theodore Levin, in her sophomore summer. Benson and Padula each cite Associate Professor Ash Fure's sonic arts courses (MUS 25 and 26) and Sunny Nam's MUS 28 (Sonic Space and Form) as influential on their mixing and production process. She also credits Assistant Professor César Alvarez, who during Benson's time as a student and then as a teaching assistant in MUS 36 (Songwriting I), provided artistic guidance and inspired her to take parts of the EP on tour with Padula this summer.

The Source is available on all major streaming platforms.