Why Horses?
Have you ever really counted how many bands have 'horse' in their name?
It’s the year of the horse. Which, it turns out, is the perfect time to notice just how many bands have the word “horse” in their name. There’s Wunderhorse, Sparklehorse Band of Horses, Horsegirl – and that’s only scratching the surface.
When this Cardiff-based group were desperately trying to come up with a name, they found themselves staring at that growing list and simply asking: why?
Why Horses? are a five-piece band that have often been labelled as something along the lines of post-punk or post-disco, though the band prefer the self-invented terminology of post-hypnogogic-disco-art-punk™. Frankly, quite a simple explanation for their disjointed sound.
Here’s a playlist with like 40 horse bands, you’re so welcome:
Their alarming beat-building drums and jittery guitar strums are matched with vocalist Gabriel’s walkie-talkie style singing, giving their music a strange, almost jazzy drive.
While it could be described as punk-infused, there’s something even more unpredictable about it. The sound feels almost blurry, slipping between genres while everything buzzes along with a restless energy. It creates this gnawing, almost feverish feeling.
My favourite right now:
Given their background, perhaps that makes sense – the band met in an equally chaotic way, assembling in dribs and drabs through house shares, Cardiff gigs and the occasional late-night club encounter.
What started as a loose circle of friends slowly settled into a band, with Gabriel on vocals, Hadi on drums, Les on bass, Dilbe on guitar and Will on violin.
Many of their tracks begin with nothing more than a drum beat, thudding away until the rest of the song slowly gathers around it. It’s why their music feels strangely ritualistic, as if they are trying to summon something otherworldly.
Drummer Hadi, the architect of these rhythms, pulls heavily from electronic dance music, building beats that feel like a sweat-soaked club at 2am.
After the pulsing drums are set in place, singer Gabriel says: “Les then writes a bass line and I sprinkle lyrics and guitar on top. ‘Far Away So Close’ and ‘I’ve Got a Fever’ are prime examples of this.”
Their first EP Yeah,Hi was an attempt at compiling their scribbled songs before drummer Hadi moved to South America.
When it came to the EP, they wanted to keep as much of the energy of their live performances as possible.
Rather than polishing the songs into something pristine, the band leaned into a more lo-fi, DIY approach while recording with Billy Tucker of Cardiff-based alternative rock band Enabling Behaviour.
The band said: “We loved working with Billy, he was very easy to deal with and put up with our countless changes. I think there were nine mixes for ‘Far Away So Close’ in the end!”
‘Far Away So Close’ is a stand-out on the five-track disk. It opens with tin pan-esque drumming and a deep hammering bass line, before Gabriel comes in with the lyrics:
“You’re my only friend and you’re wearing white/Is there a reason for tonight?”
The song lurches forward with restless energy, its rhythm constantly threatening to spill over itself while the guitars circle around the beat.
Like much of their music, the track feels pulled in several different directions at once. The band’s influences help explain why. Their listening habits jump from the nervy art-rock of Talking Heads to the hazy experimentalism of Dean Blunt, as well as bands like Honeyglaze, Les Savy Fav and Life Without Buildings.
It’s a mix that might sound chaotic on paper, but in practice it feeds directly into the strange elasticity of their sound.
Despite their far-reaching influences, Why Horses? remain firmly rooted in the Cardiff scene that first brought them together. The city’s small but tightly knit network of bands has played a major role in shaping the group’s early life.
They gave shoutouts to: “Bands like MORN, Spirited Followers and Casual Smart make us really excited about music coming from the Welsh scene at the moment.”
While the group have recently started touring further afield across the UK – including frequent London gigs – Cardiff still feels like the pulse of their rhythmic sound.
That sense of movement and experimentation also carries through into the way their songs evolve over time. Older tracks rarely stay fixed in one form for long.
Gabriel says: “Dilibe (guitar) is always thinking of new ways to imagine the songs which can often make them feel fresh. With Will adding violin to older songs it makes them feel a lot more rounded as well.”
Will’s violin adds something else entirely. Rather than sitting on top of the songs, it weaves its way through them, threading its way through the guitars and rhythm giving the music a warped elegance.
Still, that messy energy remains central to what makes the band tick. Rather than smoothing out the rough edges, Why Horses? seem determined to keep their music slightly unstable.
They are songs that feel alive enough to change shape from one gig to the next.
Looking ahead, the group has more plans in motion. Their next confirmed appearance will be at Wales’ biggest music industry event FOCUS Wales, in Wrexham.
They also teased the possibility of some ‘very special’ shows appearing in-between.
Why horses? It’s the kind of question that might never really get answered — but if you do figure it out, let me know.
Upcoming gigs:
Windmill, Brixton - 25 March
FOCUS Wales - 7 May
Great Escape Festival - 16 May