"...don't think for a minute then that this forth installment is their grown up, mellowed out, mature album. Not entirely anyway. Fret not young moshers, you'll be losing your shit/phones/trainers to some of these short sharp blasts of high energy guitar-fueled rock fury".
Believe it or not, it's two and a half years since Leeds' finest noise-makers Pulled Apart By Horses released their last album (Blood). The thing with the 'Horses is they never really disappear completely from our radar, such is their insatiable appetite for playing live. Headline tours, support slots and festival appearances ensure we don't forget what a delightful racket these fearsome lads make. Their next UK road trip to support forthcoming album number four (The Haze) is booked and selling fast, a slight shift in line up with drummer Tommy Davidson (ex These Monsters) and well, you know the rest if you've seen the band play live before. Let the chaos commence.
The new album doesn't fuck about. Naturally. If the leap from 2010's debut to follow up 'Tough Love' in 2012 saw the band blossom into much-improved musicians, album number three (Blood) was a natural progression into perhaps more refined territory, albeit still laced with typical 'Horses freewheeling angst. Don't think for a minute then that this forth installment is their grown up, mellowed out, mature album. Not entirely anyway. Fret not young moshers, you'll be losing your shit/phones/trainers to some of these short sharp blasts of high energy guitar-fueled rock fury, make no mistake. In fact the album shifts through the first five songs in relentless fashion, all individually clocking in at barely the three minute mark. Album title track 'The Haze' sets the tone, heavier-than-previously drums collide with the rest of the bands staple driving guitar riffs and Tom Hudson's gravel-laced tones. 'The Big What If' isn't just the big track of the album, it's possibly one of the best guitar songs of the year. Huge hooks, a ridiculously catchy chorus, mid-section breakdown before launching into a wild scream that will keep the sweaty young things in the pit on their toes.
'Hotel Motivation' plants its huge, dirty stomping size twelves into the face of the grunge-laden 'Prince Of Meats'. Not until the Foo's-esque intro of track six of 'Lamping' do brakes get ever so slightly applied. The rage of all that's gone before manifested into a lurching, steady rhythm and switching between jangly and heavy-fuzzed guitar that climaxes with indecipherable lyrics through a loud-speaker over a wailing chorus of la la la's. This feels every bit like an epic closing album track, when it is in fact merely half time.
'Flash Lads' sees The Haze flip back to the tune in, crash out roller-coaster with Tom Hudson's yelping vocals screaming 'You win some, you lose some'. 'Moonbather's slow burn has more of those thunderous heavy drums propping up the relentless bass line and swirling guitar. A headbangers delight. Dials are turned up to the max for the Mudhoney fuzz-packed, stop-start quickie of 'Brass castles', while Hudson's vocals are the star attraction as he battles with 'My Evil Twin' on the penultimate track. Likewise with 'Dumb Fun' which closes The Haze with more grungy goodness, those soaring words sparring with the heavyweight feel of the climactic song.
The Haze will still appeal to those who have carried a torch for the band this far. They've really beefed up have Pulled Apart By Horses without losing that wild, ferocious edge and sense of playfulness. In a music world where a majority are constantly thriving to fit in, the 'Horses do what feels right at the time for them, and that still works out just fine.
Words - Pete Jackson
'The Haze' is released on March 17th 2017 via Caroline International
Pre-order : https://pulledapartbyhorses.lnk.to/TheHaze
Track listing
1. The Haze
2. The Big What If
3. Hotel Motivation
4. Prince Of Meats
5. Neighbourhood Witch
6. Lamping
7. Flash Lads
8. Moonbather
9. What’s Up Dude
10. Brass Castles
11. My Evil Twin
12. Dumb Fun
Tickets: www.pulledapartbyhorses.com/tour/
March
27 Oxford O2 Academy 2
28 London Scala
29 Bristol Thekla
30 Southampton, Talking Heads
April
01 Derby 2Q Festival
02 Birmingham Mama Roux’s
03 Norwich Waterfront Studio
05 Glasgow King Tuts
06 Manchester Sound Control
07 Newcastle Think Tank
08 Leeds Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)
Pulled Apart By Horses : Tom Hudson (Guitar/Vocals), James Brown (Guitar), Robert Lee (Bass) and Tommy Davidson (Drums).