Band: Toy Horses
Release: Toy Horses (Self Titled Album)
Hailing from Cardiff is indie/pop group Toy Horses, who hit the crowds with their new self titled album. They’ve pleased the likes of Stephen Fry, being his new ‘band to watch’. So they must be pretty darn good!?
I sat down and listened to the new album whilst having a nice chill out, eating some lunch and what not. It was really pleasant to have playing in the background, showing off a range of songs from the chirpy tunes to the mellower range.
Kicking off with a cheerful number, ‘No One’s Ever Gonna Leave You’, set the mood right off. It’s not raging crazy, but it’s utterly uplifting with its sing-a-long chorus and twangy guitar pieces.
‘Play What You Want’ is a bit more outgoing, with a wider range of vocal tones and instrumental backing. The overlapping vocals make it perfect for crowd singing, instantly making me picture them at a hustling gig with welly wearing fans jumping all over the place – an indie bands idea of heaven. I love how this song builds up and drops everything throughout the length of the track. Variety makes it interesting to listen to, having you guessing what is to come up next. One moment, everything from guitars, drums and vocals will be jamming out rocking it, and then it’s the soft vocals soaring out.
About half way though, ‘Last Chance’ came on and it’s the first time I clearly listened to the vocals. It’s an acoustic number, so that stand out so much more powerfully – Beautiful! They’re soft and gentle, yet can be pushed to a stronger tone. The thing I love about them is how they sound so real compared to a lot the auto-tuned robotic stuff in the charts today. The guitar picking is peaceful and lovely. It’s definitely helped towards my relaxing afternoon. Acoustic numbers aren’t usually my favourites with indie bands, but this one really hits the spot. A favourite from the album for me, without a doubt.
I find that a lot of indie bands now seem to merge together. It’s becoming an increasingly popular genre of music, with so many more bands coming out than before. However, only a few seem to stick and stand out from the rest, such as Arctic Monkeys and Keane for example. Listening to Toy Horses instantly reminded me of them when they started hitting the charts. They haven’t just played the generic indie soundtrack. Something about them seems different and I can certainly see them in the spot light really soon. Good choice Stephen Fry!
Reviewer: Jasmine Sevette
