Horsebeach`s Ryan Kennedy hails from Stockport and Manchester`s musical heritage runs through his new record like the name of a sugary seaside town through a stick of candy cane.
The reverbed mix recalls that of Creation Records` early releases. Those of Felt and Horsebeach`s fellow Manchunians, The Bodines. The overdubs of tremolo and jangle, which vie with synth lines and lyrics that detail love gone wrong, owe a debt to Johnny Marr (who doesn’t owe a debt to Johnny Marr?). Layered six-strings pull open the curtains of a Whalley Range bedsit and pour sunlight onto self-loathing and angst. Excuses and apologies. Guilt and blame. Theme For Sadness swirls like a Lo-Fi Elegia. Beauty & Sadness echoing those New Order-isms. Perhaps something circa Power, Corruption, And Lies. Perhaps Leave Me Alone. Emelia matches drum machine with jazzy strum. Has Vini Reilly meeting Ben Watt covering Bob Dylan. I Must Work & I Must Die reprises the sentiments of The Smiths` Still Ill.
“If you must go to work tomorrow, well if I were you I wouldn`t bother.”
“There are brighter sides to life, and I know because I`ve seen them.”
Drags a diary full of young heartbreak down the disco. Buys it a drink.
You can pre-order a copy here.
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