a dark horse‘s debut EP is out next Monday as a pay what you like download, but you can stream it here right now.
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a d a r k h o r s e are duo Hugh Rodgers and James Parker. Formed in Dublin in the winter of 2010, Rodgers and Parker came together to create a band unlike anything either had been in before – making music that is more cinematic than sound or song alone. With the help of some trusted friends and accomplices, a d a r k h o r s e record and produce their music, make their own music videos and design their own artwork. To date they have worked with Adrian Mullan (ex Fight Like Apes) and Niall Woods (Polly Scattergood), Vyvienne Long (Damien Rice) and Luke Slott.
The music goes beyond just songs. It’s about recreating and inspiring an emotion. From delicately whispered vocals to a banjo echoing through a sparsely furnished room, the songs make you think of firewood crackling somewhere deep in a forest clearing, damp leaves and butterflies, soft forest foliage underfoot and shimmering light filtering through treetops overhead.
The music itself will call to mind everything from Bon Iver to Smashing Pumpkins at their more hypnotic. Listen closely and you’ll also hear elements of the Cure and Canadian folk musician Laura Veirs.
The songs tell stories about walking your own path, recalling the childhood freedom of endless summer days, how we change our lives in the unknown, and how our hopes, fears and dreams are forged within our pain. The songs rise to crescendos before unwinding themselves, their stories told, their bodies broken, but staying with the listener, long after the music has ceased.
The EP was produced by a d a r k h o r s e. It was recorded by Niall Woods & John Bradshaw in Porchlight Studios, mixed by Stephen Shannon at Experimental Audio (Adrian Crowley, Halfset, Strands), and mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering.
The EP will be available as a pay what you like download from http://adarkhorse.bandcamp.com on Monday 6th August.
[youtube url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV02Cwnmiw0&rel=0 ]
