Seattle industrial noise trio (previously just a duo), Haunted Horses, are not going to bother with melody or subtlety or generally playing nice. No, they wield their music like a harsh punishment meted out to promote behavior correction. Or just wreck eardrums. Whatever instruments the three musicians—Myke Pelly (drums), Colin Dawson (vocals/guitar/electronics), Brian McClelland (bass)—are utilizing on their new single, “The Garden,” it sounds as though they are all being routed through a stack of distortion pedals, with the final mix abraded by sandpaper. It’s dense, punchy, jagged and blown out in all the best ways. The track has the creepy desperation of Big Black and the gothic pulse and vibe of vintage Bauhaus, with a little Swans lunacy thrown in for extra aggravation.
“The Garden” is not the feel-good hit of the summer, despite the sunny disposition of the title. No, whatever garden Dawson is intoning about, it’s likely growing something toxic. The track is, however, a great intro to Haunted Horses’ third full-length, The Worst Has Finally Happened, which will be released on limited vinyl via Three One G Records on July 29th, 2022. The album was recorded at Electric Wall in Seattle, mixed and recorded by Bob Cheek and mastered by Chris Common. You can preorder the vinyl here, or the digital version here.
Here’s what Colin Dawson had to say about the new single:
“As the extension of the record’s opening track, ‘The Garden’ is intended to cover all bases of our architectural noise structures and heavy rhythmic layers. This was the first song we wrote for the new record and it fittingly sits at the top of the album track list. It’s a song about the worst societal delusions.”
The post Track Premiere: Haunted Horses – “The Garden” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
