Sylvan Esso are back with a new song, “WDID,” and with it, news of their departure from Spotify. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn are releasing the single on their own label, Psychic Hotline, and have vowed to cut ties with “a store that, in addition to all its other glaring flaws, directly funds war machines,” as they put it in a statement. Listen to “WDID” below.

The duo’s exit from Spotify is the latest in a string of departures set off, in June, by Deerhoof, in a move backed by their label Joyful Noise. Those to follow suit have included Hotline TNT, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Xiu Xiu, and—if their intended removal goes ahead—Massive Attack. Those artists have primarily cited Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s investment, through his Prima Materia venture capital firm, in the weapons contractor Helsing. In an apparently unrelated move, the streaming giant announced today that Ek would transition from the role of chief executive officer to executive chair.

Meath and Sanborn said in their statement:

As we prepare to release new music, we have to decide what we want to be a part of and what we don’t. To that end, with Sylvan Esso being on our own label for the first time, we have decided to remove our music from Spotify. While no solution is perfect, we simply can’t continue to put our life’s work in a store that, in addition to all its other glaring flaws, directly funds war machines.

reaching towards the world we all deserve, even though we are not in it yet

Sylvan Esso released their last album, No Rules Sandy, in 2022 via Loma Vista. Psychic Hotline will release “WDID” on 12″ vinyl on January 9, backed by the B-side “Keep On.”