Man Your Horse

A scintillating amalgam of post-hardcore, Man Your Horse comes across as a modern-day Cap’n Jazz on six Red Bulls — and that’s a personal observation, as the band uses Portugal, The Man and At the Drive In and Don Caballero as comparables (truthfully, only the latter two audibly apply; barely, at that). Three of the Shorts EP’s six tracks are instrumental, but this leans on neither the pretense of neo-classical tunes nor tired post-rock tropes: These are spiky, arms-up blasts of neon, needing neither throats nor lyrics to paint a mood. And that mood, put succinctly, veers between gleefully messy and Ritalin-focused — in tone, this feels like Austin, Tex. duo Zorch. Opener “Breakfast for Dinner” is an alternating bouillabaisse of hard-hit snare, robotic guitar-plucking and grimy, walking basslines. Influences soon seep in, but not overbearingly so: The propulsive rhythm and the spindly guitar lead of “Elastic Pants” could be Vaya-era At the Drive-In minus Cedric Bixler, while elsewhere, the gallop of “So Bronze It’s Gold” reminds of North of America at its most muscular. Add in the yelping vocals of “Freedom for Hours” — something that recalls that blurry, late ’90s intersection of math rock and emo, before both got boring — and this is a winner: Shorts has its reference points, but delivers modernist weirdness where its heroes didn’t. Quite frankly, we’re surprised we like it so much. - FFWD Weekly - Calgary

A scintillating amalgam of post-hardcore, Man Your Horse comes across as a modern-day Cap’n Jazz on six Red Bulls — and that’s a personal observation, as the band uses Portugal, The Man and At the Drive In and Don Caballero as comparables (truthfully, only the latter two audibly apply; barely, at that). Three of the Shorts EP’s six tracks are instrumental, but this leans on neither the pretense of neo-classical tunes nor tired post-rock tropes: These are spiky, arms-up blasts of neon, needing neither throats nor lyrics to paint a mood. And that mood, put succinctly, veers between gleefully messy and Ritalin-focused — in tone, this feels like Austin, Tex. duo Zorch. Opener “Breakfast for Dinner” is an alternating bouillabaisse of hard-hit snare, robotic guitar-plucking and grimy, walking basslines. Influences soon seep in, but not overbearingly so: The propulsive rhythm and the spindly guitar lead of “Elastic Pants” could be Vaya-era At the Drive-In minus Cedric Bixler, while elsewhere, the gallop of “So Bronze It’s Gold” reminds of North of America at its most muscular. Add in the yelping vocals of “Freedom for Hours” — something that recalls that blurry, late ’90s intersection of math rock and emo, before both got boring — and this is a winner: Shorts has its reference points, but delivers modernist weirdness where its heroes didn’t. Quite frankly, we’re surprised we like it so much. - FFWD Weekly - Calgary

Not to be mistaken for Band of Horses or Horse the Band—or 2 Guys 1 Horse, whatever that is—Man Your Horse is a Vancouver band specializing in the kind of off-kilter beats, sideways guitar riffs, and frenzied vocals that we haven’t heard since At the Drive-In imploded. In other words, these guys make totally rad post-hardcore. The trio, which recently returned from a cross-Canada tour, will celebrate the release of its debut full-length, at most : at least, with a show at the Railway Club on Saturday (July 31). Also on the bill are local noise dealers Boogie Monster, Victoria’s Cobras Cobras Cobras, and Calgary’s Actual People. - Georgia Straight

Local Vancouver band Man Your Horse’s debut EP Tails presents six dynamic songs that bring the listener along for some some musical mental gymnastics.

The songwriting is tongue-in-cheek and each track is associated with a different animal, bringing to mind something of an indie-rock Aesop’s fables. One such tale—about a hydrophobic polar bear on a melting ice flow—allegorically expounds on the fear of the inevitable. The opening song, “Adult Behaviour,” is about coming to terms with one’s role as an adult and learning to cope with the pressures of adult life—as told from the point of view of a hunted pubescent jaguar.

Man Your Horse channels a host of influences, from Tom Waits to the Mars Volta. There’s a lot going on musically on the six tracks, which you might expect from a group who describes their music as “math/soul.” A little ostentatious perhaps, but Tails delivers. The rhythms are complex and varying, often going through three or four different time signatures over the course of a song. There are traces of blues and prog-rock and the the distortion-drenched guitar also cycles through time signatures at a rapid pace, keeping the listener on their toes.

For a self-released first release, this is a strong showing from the creative rockers. Their high-energy sound, creative musicality and entertaining lyrics blend well; the recipe for one heck of a live show. For a healthy dose of cerebral indie-rock, keep an eye out for Man Your Horse. - Discorder

Local Vancouver band Man Your Horse’s debut EP Tails presents six dynamic songs that bring the listener along for some some musical mental gymnastics.

The songwriting is tongue-in-cheek and each track is associated with a different animal, bringing to mind something of an indie-rock Aesop’s fables. One such tale—about a hydrophobic polar bear on a melting ice flow—allegorically expounds on the fear of the inevitable. The opening song, “Adult Behaviour,” is about coming to terms with one’s role as an adult and learning to cope with the pressures of adult life—as told from the point of view of a hunted pubescent jaguar.

Man Your Horse channels a host of influences, from Tom Waits to the Mars Volta. There’s a lot going on musically on the six tracks, which you might expect from a group who describes their music as “math/soul.” A little ostentatious perhaps, but Tails delivers. The rhythms are complex and varying, often going through three or four different time signatures over the course of a song. There are traces of blues and prog-rock and the the distortion-drenched guitar also cycles through time signatures at a rapid pace, keeping the listener on their toes.

For a self-released first release, this is a strong showing from the creative rockers. Their high-energy sound, creative musicality and entertaining lyrics blend well; the recipe for one heck of a live show. For a healthy dose of cerebral indie-rock, keep an eye out for Man Your Horse. - Discorder

On top of being one of the most enigmatic songwriters in Vancouver, Man Your Horse frontman Julian Marrs is an incredibly loyal bandmate. After the group’s drummer, Scott Petrie, landed in the hospital days before a cross-country tour, Marrs refused to go on without him. When the trio—which also includes bassist Calum MacConnell—got together for their most recent tour in the spring, they came back to Vancouver stronger than ever. The pleasantly dissonant At Most: At Least got local music fans almost as excited as Marrs is about a certain green-lizard-referencing four-piece. - Georgia Straight