“Block” unveils a memorable rock sound from The Horses, channeling a melodic and momentum-filled appeal with fond shades of The Replacements. The duo, comprising Tyler Wyatt (formerly of Surfliner) and Johnny Burke, fully impress on this debut, which comes on the heels of a sold-out headlining show in Boston. Panting percussion ventures into a sturdy guitar-forward immersion, thematically reflecting on cycles of habit, growth, and self-acceptance. The refrain “it’s just one more lap around the block” captures resilience amid repetition, also excelling in its emotive vocal layers and no-frills guitar spiritedness. “Block” is a gripping, jangling fun time that has us firmly anticipating what’s next from The Horses.
Wyatt elaborates further on the track:
“Johnny and I formed The Horses 4 pints deep at a pub in Manchester the night before Oasis played their first Heaton Park gig over the summer. I was fresh off my first band Surfliner breaking up the month prior and Johnny had been playing here and there since the days of his college band Sea Pieces. Truly we had no expectations, just a feeling and many ideas for songs. I wrote this one on my wife’s childhood acoustic guitar that was covered in dust. The production of the tune felt impossible to nail at first, it was clear we had to take big stylistic swings to get where we wanted. But we got somewhere massive, and it feels fitting that we kick things off with this one.”
—
This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
