An Horse has musical giddy-up
“I don't think Montrealian is the right term,” I said to Kate Cooper, lead singer/guitarist of An Horse, and newcomer to the hip French-Canadian city. She quipped back, “It sounds pretty good! I might use it… but I'll probably get laughed at afterwards.”
Cooper's sense of humour and laid-back attitude are likely results of her Australian upbringing, something she and drummer Damon Cox, who make up the grammatically-challenged An Horse, share. But as of January, the duo have left home to pursue musical aspirations overseas; several tours and a spotlight on The Late Show with David Letterman, Cooper and Cox's indie rock careers have been pushed to new heights.
“Leaving Australia and coming here was a pretty big deal,” remembered Cooper, as she spoke from her Montreal apartment. Their decision to relocate was catalyzed by an opening slot on tour with Canada's acclaimed singer-songwriter duo, Tegan and Sara. It had a profound effect on the band.
“Being asked to do a tour in North America with them made me and Damon realize ‘Oh wow, we could actually do this!' Before that, we were just kind of mucking around.”
![](images/interrobang/091409/an_horse.jpg)
Sara Quin has went on to champion An Horse, going so far as sending tracks recorded in Australia to her own band's producer/engineer, Howard Redekopp. What emerged was Rearrange Beds, a collection of 10 songs that straddle the lines between indie pop, punk rock and emo.
Some describe it as a break-up album, which, given its subject matter, makes perfect sense. The word ‘you' finds its way into nearly every song, and taken as a whole, it could be read as an open letter to an ex-lover. But something in Cooper's phrasing makes the album sound more like a journal than a scathing dismissal. It's an invitation to her inner thoughts.
And while Rearrange Beds deals primarily with the results of a messy break-up, the matter is only complicated by Cooper's habit of writing songs to herself. “When I say ‘you' I probably mean ‘me'” she explained, chuckling, “but if I say ‘me' too often it's like I'm talking about myself constantly. So, I try to trick everyone that I'm writing about someone else.”
If that explanation isn't confusing enough, try defining An Horse's sound. It's undoubtedly high-energy pop music, but it too bears a reflective, sombre tone. This contrasting combination has attracted a surprisingly diverse group of fans - even other bands.
“We were playing with Silversun Pickups in the UK and we went down well with their crowd. Also, we do a cover of The Jealous Sound who are a punk-emo band. They e-mailed us and were like ‘Holy shit, we love your cover!' So punk and emo people like it too. And do you know the Cancer Bats? Well a couple of those dudes dig it.”
Winning fans over hasn't always been easy for the band, though; much apprehension comes from the fact that An Horse is a simple guitar and drums set-up with a front man “the size of a jockey”, so says their official biography.
“People look at me and Damon like ‘What is this?' and it's kind of like a challenge to play well and make new fans.”
Even the band name is subject to much speculation (it arose from a grammar debate with Cooper's next door neighbour), but that isn't stopping the band's quick rise in popularity.
Now headlining a brief number of Canadian dates before meeting up with Silversun Pickups in Kansas, An Horse reached the London Music Club on September 12. I hope you did yourself a favour and checked out their raucously endearing music.
Cooper's sense of humour and laid-back attitude are likely results of her Australian upbringing, something she and drummer Damon Cox, who make up the grammatically-challenged An Horse, share. But as of January, the duo have left home to pursue musical aspirations overseas; several tours and a spotlight on The Late Show with David Letterman, Cooper and Cox's indie rock careers have been pushed to new heights.
“Leaving Australia and coming here was a pretty big deal,” remembered Cooper, as she spoke from her Montreal apartment. Their decision to relocate was catalyzed by an opening slot on tour with Canada's acclaimed singer-songwriter duo, Tegan and Sara. It had a profound effect on the band.
“Being asked to do a tour in North America with them made me and Damon realize ‘Oh wow, we could actually do this!' Before that, we were just kind of mucking around.”
![](images/interrobang/091409/an_horse.jpg)
Sara Quin has went on to champion An Horse, going so far as sending tracks recorded in Australia to her own band's producer/engineer, Howard Redekopp. What emerged was Rearrange Beds, a collection of 10 songs that straddle the lines between indie pop, punk rock and emo.
Some describe it as a break-up album, which, given its subject matter, makes perfect sense. The word ‘you' finds its way into nearly every song, and taken as a whole, it could be read as an open letter to an ex-lover. But something in Cooper's phrasing makes the album sound more like a journal than a scathing dismissal. It's an invitation to her inner thoughts.
And while Rearrange Beds deals primarily with the results of a messy break-up, the matter is only complicated by Cooper's habit of writing songs to herself. “When I say ‘you' I probably mean ‘me'” she explained, chuckling, “but if I say ‘me' too often it's like I'm talking about myself constantly. So, I try to trick everyone that I'm writing about someone else.”
If that explanation isn't confusing enough, try defining An Horse's sound. It's undoubtedly high-energy pop music, but it too bears a reflective, sombre tone. This contrasting combination has attracted a surprisingly diverse group of fans - even other bands.
“We were playing with Silversun Pickups in the UK and we went down well with their crowd. Also, we do a cover of The Jealous Sound who are a punk-emo band. They e-mailed us and were like ‘Holy shit, we love your cover!' So punk and emo people like it too. And do you know the Cancer Bats? Well a couple of those dudes dig it.”
Winning fans over hasn't always been easy for the band, though; much apprehension comes from the fact that An Horse is a simple guitar and drums set-up with a front man “the size of a jockey”, so says their official biography.
“People look at me and Damon like ‘What is this?' and it's kind of like a challenge to play well and make new fans.”
Even the band name is subject to much speculation (it arose from a grammar debate with Cooper's next door neighbour), but that isn't stopping the band's quick rise in popularity.
Now headlining a brief number of Canadian dates before meeting up with Silversun Pickups in Kansas, An Horse reached the London Music Club on September 12. I hope you did yourself a favour and checked out their raucously endearing music.