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.”
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.”
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.
