(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): HORSEBOY

Friday 24 November 2023

HORSEBOY

Band: HORSEBOY
Genres: Punk / Noise Rock / Post-Punk / Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Metal

Related artists: Leg Yield, Untold Want and Big Water.
Country: Kansas City, Missouri U.S.A.
Years Active: 2023-present
For fans of: The Jonbenét, Llewelyn, Leg Yield, The Blood Brothers, Akimbo, Terrifying Girls' High School, Lucertulus, Meth., Short Hair, Teenage Swoon, Blue Youth and Nikad.

Label(s): Self Released

There's no better way to follow up Horsewhip then with HORSEBOY. But Dave, are they related? Not really, just by name and the fact that both kick major ass. This debut EP was released in 2023 and is a frantic, chaotic, and blissful blast through a screamo/post-punk hybrid which might end up being my EP of the year. It's that fucking good. It is my 2023 goal to get this on a physical medium in some way, shape, or form.

The four-piece features members of Leg Yield, Untold Want and Big Water knocking out 6 tracks in just 12 minutes. Opener "Tell Me I'm Sorry" is a decent introduction to the EP and on the heavier end of the spectrum, but I'd probably argue it's the weakest of the 6. Following is the one-minute "Painless" which is heavy as fuck and totally in your face. No noodles or pretty interludes, this is staggering screamo/metal in the vein of Akimbo on speed. "Vicious Mockery" goes just as as hard as its predecessor but gets there from the opposite direction, implementing super dancey grooves, interesting guitarwork, and next-level dynamics, reminding me of The Blood Brothers and Desperado. "Honk if You're Under Suspicious Circumstances" is perhaps the most out-there track but it's a righteous number that begins with more rock and yellin' than usual (reminding me a bit of Venus Twins), but eventually unravels into a rabid jaunt of unhinged rock and screamo. You want some fucking sass? Then look no further than "Sinner Supremist" which is drowned in cathartic confidence not unlike Terrifying Girls' High School and early Lucertulus material. Closer "Deep Hunger" continues with the latter half of the EP, focusing on rock first and the heavier stuff second, using a lot of shouted vocals and unnerving guitar progressions.

Yep, EP of the year.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2023 - Horseboy EP (stream/buy here)

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(2023) HORSEBOY - "Vicious Mockery" (from 'Horseboy')