An Horse
An Horse is an Australian indie rock[2] band, originally from Brisbane, Australia. The band is a duo, composed of Kate Cooper on guitar/vocals and Damon Cox on drums/backing vocals.[1]
An Horse | |
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Origin | Brisbane, Australia[1] |
Genres | Indie pop, indie rock, shoegaze, power pop, alternative rock |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Mom + Pop Music, Grand Hotel van Cleef, Lame-O Records, Poison City Records |
Website | anhorse |
Members | Kate Cooper Damon Cox |
To date, An Horse has released three full-length albums: Rearrange Beds (2009), Walls (2011), and Modern Air (2019).
History
Becoming An Horse
Kate Cooper and Damon Cox met while working at an independent record store called Skinny's in Brisbane, Australia. They began making music together in 2007, and set up a PA in the store, where they would rehearse after-hours and organise shows in the Brisbane area.
2007–2008: Not Really Scared
The band's first recording was a 5 song EP, Not Really Scared, which was released by local Brisbane label Valve.[3] Kate handed a rough mix version on CD to Tegan and Sara at the Canadian duo's in-store performance at Skinny's, and not long after received an invite for An Horse to open their Out of Hibernation US tour in April 2008.[4] Off the back of that tour, they were the first band to be signed to New York label Mom + Pop Music by Michael Goldstone.[5] They returned to the US in October 2008 for tours with Bishop Allen and Jessica Lea Mayfield,[4] while continuing to tour at home in Australia with Death Cab For Cutie,[6] The New Pornographers and more.
2009–2010: Rearrange Beds
Their debut album, Rearrange Beds, was released on March 17, 2009 on the label Mom + Pop. It was recorded in Australia with ARIA award-winning Australian producer Magoo, and was mixed in Vancouver by Howard Redekopp. The album received favourable reviews from Pitchfork,[7] Spin[8] and Rolling Stone.[9] Upon its release they appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman[10] and continued with extensive US touring with acts including The Appleseed Cast, Silversun Pickups, Cage the Elephant, Wintersleep and Telekinesis. They also opened again for Tegan and Sara on Australian, UK and Canadian tours.[4] 2010 touring included shows with Kaki King, Dashboard Confessional and The Big Pink. A 2010 Australian tour with Against Me! was scheduled, but was later cancelled.[11] Cooper and Cox worked on writing their second album throughout 2010, and recording took place that summer in Vancouver with Howard Redekopp producing.[12] 2010 also saw the band tour Germany, Austria and Switzerland extensively as Rearrange Beds saw a release on the Grand Hotel van Cleef label. Festival appearances included Gurten Festival in Bern, Switzerland and MELT! in Germany.[13] A remix EP called Beds Rearranged was released on March 23, 2010. The EP includes remixes of songs from Rearrange Beds by artists such as RAC and Gerard Smith from TV on the Radio.[14]
2011–2012: Walls
An Horse released their sophomore album Walls on 26 April 2011, again through Mom + Pop. It debuted at number 17 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart[15] The opening-song, Dressed Sharply, was selected as iTunes Single of the Week, and was also praised by NPR.[16] Alternative Press magazine, Pitchfork[17] and Spin[18] also posted positive reviews. Touring for Walls included festival slots at Lollapalooza, Bamboozle, ACL Festival, Osheaga, Southside, Hurricane, Rolling Stone Weekender, Falls Festival, Southbound, SXSW, Sled Island and more.[4] In addition to headline shows in 2011/2012 An Horse toured in the US with Manchester Orchestra,[19] Kevin Devine, Nada Surf,[20] Alkaline Trio and in Canada with Brand New and Cursive.[21] Two headline tours of Australia also took place.[4]
2013–2017: Hiatus and other projects
The band did not play live for several years after coming off tour in support of Walls. The duo reconvened for one show on December 29, 2015 at Crowbar in Brisbane.[22] There were hints of working on new music during 2017.[23] During the band's hiatus, Cooper released an eponymous solo album via Mom + Pop in June of 2015.[24] Meanwhile, Cox toured as a drummer for Kevin Devine and occasionally Tancred, as well as an auxiliary percussionist and drum tech for Brand New up to their 2017 tour.
2018: Return and "Get Out Somehow"
On March 1, 2018 the band announced they were going to start playing again, beginning with three shows in Canada with Camp Cope.[25] Later, on March 5, they announced they would be touring the US with The Front Bottoms.[26] On May 16, the band released the single Get Out Somehow, which marked their first new music since 2011.[27]
2019: Rearrange Beds reissue and Modern Air
On January 23, 2019, the band announced a new album was to be released in May on Lame-O Records, with a vinyl repressing of Rearrange Beds preceding it in late January.[28] On March 18, they revealed the album was called Modern Air with a release date of May 3. Mike Sapone produced and mixed the album.[29] The album's release was preceded by two further singles: "This is a Song" on March 20, and "Ship of Fools" on April 12. In May 2019 the band toured North America with longtime friends Camp Cope.[30]
Television appearances
Their song "Postcards" was used in a TV ad for the Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class in 2008.[31]
On 12 March 2009, An Horse made their first ever television appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing the song "Camp Out".
Discography
- Not Really Scared EP (2008)[32]
- Rearrange Beds LP (Mom + Pop Music/Poison City Records) (2009; reissued 2019)[33]
- Beds Rearranged Remix EP (Mom + Pop) (2010)[34]
- Walls LP (Mom + Pop) (2011)
- Get Out Somehow single (2018)[35]
- Modern Air LP (Lame-O Records/Poison City) (2019)
References
- "Interview with Kate Cooper from An Horse: No Boundaries".
- "MySpace.com - An Horse - Brisbane, AU - Pop / Indie". MySpace.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- "Valve Records". www.valverecords.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Tour Archive – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Artists". Mom+Pop. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Death Cab For Cutie, An Horse @ Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18/08/2008)". FasterLouder. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse: Rearrange Beds Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse, 'Rearrange Beds' (Mom & Pop)". Spin. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Press – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- James Coleman (12 March 2009), An Horse on David Letterman, retrieved 3 March 2018
- "DIY". DIY. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse Pick Tegan And Sara, New Pornographers Producer For Sophomore Album | Chart Attack". Chart Attack. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "2010 Melt Festival Line Up". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- "Releases – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse Walls Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse: Unabashedly Enjoyable". NPR.org. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse: Walls Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse, 'Walls' (Mom + Pop)". Spin. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- Punknews.org. "Tours: Manchester Orchestra (with An Horse, Harrison Hudson, O'Brother)". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Nada Surf add a Brooklyn show & An Horse to tour (dates)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Brand New add date to Canadian tour, tap Cursive and An Horse to support - News - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Crowbar Brisbane on sale now – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "An Horse., We mentioned we are working on new music, figured..." An Horse. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "Cooper by Cooper on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "Canada shows with Camp Cope – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- "May/June with The Front Bottoms – AN HORSE". anhorse.com. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "An Horse are back with a new song, tours with Front Bottoms & Camp Cope". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- Sacher, Andrew (23 January 2019). "Death Cab, Tegan & Sara, Silversun Pickups & Kevin Devine reflect on An Horse's debut (which is being reissued)". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- "New album Modern Air out May 3 – AN HORSE". Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- "Tour Archive – AN HORSE". Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "The Mercedes CLC-Class". Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- "Amazon.com: Not Really Scared: An Horse: Music". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- "An Horse's Rearrange Beds in stores March 17, 2009". Altsounds Ltd. 8 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- AN HORSE (16 May 2018), AN HORSE - Get Out Somehow [Official Audio], retrieved 19 May 2018