Whyte Horses prep new LP ft. La Roux, John Grant, Gruff Rhys & more
Enigmatic Manchester UK collective Whyte Horses, a band of sorts, mix various strains of '60s psych and French pop, exotica, krautrock, glam and more into one groovy sound. The group is led by Dom Thomas, who runs reissue label Finders Keepers and brings a crate-digger's perspective to the group. Whyte Horses will release their new album, Hard Times, on January 17 via CRC Records. Thomas calls the album a "fantasy mixtape" that features guest vocals on almost every track, including La Roux, John Grant, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura), Badly Drawn Boy, Chrysta Bell (Twin Peaks: The Return), and Mèlanie Pain (Nouvelle Vague). There are two tracks you can listen to right now: the title track, a psychedelic soul number featuring John Grant, and a spirited cover of Plastic Bertrand's French-punk classic "Ca Plane Pour Moi." Listen to both below.
Whyte Horses don't play live often but shows are almost always spectacles. Says Thomas:
We approach each gig as stand-alone event in which we attempt to bring together all of our favourite films, music, art and squeeze it into one evening. We want to create an experience, a night that feels like The Velvet Underground sound-tracking a Stan Brakhage film, or The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour with an Exploding Plastic Inevitable-inspired lightshow.
The band will be making rare U.S. appearances in March with shows in Los Angeles (Masonic Lodge on March 10) and NYC (National Sawdust on March 12). That's right before SXSW (though they haven't been announced as performing).
UPDATE (1/2/2020): "Due to recording commitments Whyte Horses upcoming shows at Masonic Lodge in LA (10 March) and National Sawdust in NYC (12 March) have been postponed to a later, to be determined date."
Their only other date is a Manchester record release show on January 18. All dates are listed, along with a stream of 2018's Empty Words, below.
‘HARD TIMES’ TRACKLISTING:
Red Lady
Mister Natural (Ft. La Roux)
Hard Times (Ft. John Grant)
Ça Plane Pour Moi
Bang Bang (Ft. Chrysta Bell)
Seabird
Satellite Of Love (Ft. Badly Drawn Boy)
I Saw The Light (Ft. Mèlanie Pain)
Up In My Mind (Ft. Tracyanne Campbell)
Tocyn (Ft. Gruff Rhys)
Want You To Know
WHYTE HORSES 2020 INTERNATIONAL LIVE LISTINGS:
18 Jan - RNCM Concert Hall, Manchester UK
10 Mar - Masonic Lodge, Los Angeles US (POSTPONED)
12 Mar - National Sawdust, New York US (POSTPONED)