Wooden Horse | The Halves
February 11 | Written By Becca Stokes
‘I feel no shame’ : the simple line is crooned repeatedly, forming the uncomplicated yet self-assured chorus of The Halves latest single, ‘Wooden Horse’. Emerging from the live music capital of Australia, Melbourne-based four-piece, The Halves, merge influences in their murky third release.
The lyricism of ‘Wooden Horse’ maintains an aura of crypticness throughout; ‘I wanna stand in my own heroes place I heard the name I heard the name that was sung in his praise’, whilst it is unclear who is being referred to with these words, leaving room for the interpretation of the listener, the story-line, and the part that the narrator plays within it, grows from the opening verse.
In Wooden Horse, The Halves stray away from the concept of ‘short but sweet’, drawing the song out at just over four minutes; atmosphere is really a priority here. Having grown their sound, as well as their following, through playing gigs around Victoria -at the likes of Nighthawks Bar and the Working Club- they bring the sound and feel of ‘live’ home with them and inject it into their immersive and textured recordings.
Leaning further into the sentimental fuzz of shoe-gaze, this track has a softer quality than the bands previous releases; Headnoise and Right Place, Right Time. Whilst their influences include The Kinks, and other 60’s garage rock bands, The Halves bring a modern twist, with vocals being reminiscent of Fontaines DC frontman, Grien Chatten and the DIY- feel instrumental bearing resemblance to Idles and Deftones alike. The bands’ eclectic collection of cross-generational influences create a sound which feels both familiar, fresh, and undoubtedly personal to them.
The Halves are a hidden musical-gem for those who suffer the age-old feeling of having been born in the wrong generation; they pay homage to a pool of genre-shaping musicians from previous decades without neglecting the undeniable impact of modern alternative artists on music. Make sure to check out ‘‘Wooden Horse’, along with the bands previous releases, on Spotify, Apple music and Amazon.
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