Every few years, indie rock seems to settle on a naming convention it can’t ignore. In the 2000s and early 2010s, every other act seemed to have a wolf (Wolf Parade, Wolf Eyes, Wolf Alice) or deer moniker (Deer Tick, Deerhunter, the Dear Hunter). As that trend faded, everyone went coastal (Beach House, Beach Slang, Beach Fossils). Now we’re back to a different animal.
Maybe it’s due to the enduring resurgence of popular country music, the widespread embrace of cowboy-inspired fashion, or simply the yearning for a more benign mode of transportation, but recently, bands with the word “horse” in their title are rein-ing supreme. Equine artist names are, of course, not totally new — we’ve heard Crazy Horse, Sparklehorse, and even a whole Band Of Horses — but below, you’ll find a rodeo of some of the newer horse bands to help you keep things straight. If you're a regular Stereogum reader, you should recognize them all (several made our annual Best New Artists lists). Saddle up.
Brown Horse
CITY: Norwich, UK
BIO: Brown Horse hail from Norwich, a prosperous UK city rich with medieval architecture, but the songs this alt-country quartet make feel precisely in line with America’s current wave of down-home alt-country. Their debut single “Willow” arrived in 2023, and their upcoming third album Total Dive is full of big, lightly twangy hooks.
RIYL: Songs: Ohia, MJ Lenderman, a tasteful amount of pedal steel
NOTABLE RELEASE: Total Dive is out 4/10 via Loose Music.
[Bandcamp]
horsegiirL
CITY: Berlin, DE
BIO: Arguably this list’s most on-the-muzzle artist in terms of equine references, horsegiirL — novelty Berlin DJ who’s described herself as “half-horse, half-human” — attracted internet attention after her 2023 single “My Barn, My Rules.” Her stable, however, is the club, where her hyperpop-meets-Eurodance beats are right at home. Sabrina Carpenter, for what it's worth, is a fan.
RIYL: Shygirl, early PC Music, the Hamster Dance
NOTABLE RELEASE: “an apple a day” is out now via RCA.
[Bandcamp]
Horsegirl
CITY: Brooklyn, NY
BIO: Founded when its members were high schoolers living in Chicago, Horsegirl bridge the gap between '90s slacker rock on their 2022 debut Versions Of Modern Performance
and the sparseness of early post-punk on its 2025 follow-up Phonetics On And On. Now based in New York, Horsegirl are for the former outcasts who forged their own path to coolness.
RIYL: The Raincoats, the Breeders, public libraries
NOTABLE RELEASE: Phonetics On And On is out now via Matador.
[Bandcamp]
Horse Lords
CITY: Baltimore, MD
BIO: Formed in 2010, Horse Lords make elaborate, instrumental experimental rock for the real music theory geeks. Across their handful of studio albums you’ll find subtle references to classic Krautrock, ancient folk, Afrobeat, and more, all spun into guitar-led compositions where tonality and structure are mere suggestions. What you won’t find is anything that sounds remotely like country music.
RIYL: Bill Orcutt, Glenn Branca, music that can be considered "challenging"
NOTABLE RELEASE: Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! is out 6/12 via RNVG Intl.
[Bandcamp]
Feeble Little Horse
CITY: Pittsburgh, PA
BIO: Like a lot of bands their age, Feeble Little Horse have cited Alex G as one of their primary influences. But the Pittsburgh crew’s spin on guitar-heavy noise pop feels entirely their own, warping their ultra-catchy melodies and Lydia Slocum’s wry lyrics into delightful, barely controlled chaos.
RIYL: Sonic Youth, Hotline TNT, My Bloody Valentine B-sides
NOTABLE RELEASE: Girl With Fish is out now via Saddle Creek.
[Bandcamp]
Horse Jumper Of Love
CITY: Boston, MA
BIO: Though Horse Jumper Of Love’s sound has amped up in volume and tempo over the years, at their core is a strong allegiance to ‘90s slowcore that’s earned them a loyal following over the past decade or so. With a fittingly detached delivery, frontman Dimitri Giannopoulos touches on macabre topics, and his obfuscation between dreams and reality is part of their strong appeal.
RIYL: Duster, Bedhead, analyzing your nightmares
NOTABLE RELEASE: Disaster Trick is out now via Run For Cover.
[Bandcamp]
Prize Horse
CITY: Minneapolis, MN
BIO: Prize Horse employ the type of sludgy, spacey riffs that have become firmly associated with modern shoegaze. But the Midwestern trio’s take on the subgenre is a refreshing one, heavy and dense without ever feeling too overstuffed.
RIYL: Greet Death, Have A Nice Life, getting snowed in
NOTABLE RELEASE: Under Sound is out now via New Morality Zine.
[Bandcamp]
Bonny Light Horseman
CITY: Various
BIO: Bonny Light Horseman formed in 2019 at Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Eaux Claires Festival, but their three members — Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman — were all already established musicians in their own right in the folk space. Their rootsy ballads aren’t very explicitly country, but they might convince you to put on some boots.
RIYL: Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Newport Folk Festival lore
NOTABLE RELEASE: Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free is out now via Jagjaguwar.
[Bandcamp]
Wunderhorse
CITY: Dublin, IE
BIO: Aspiring punk Jacob Slater drummed on-screen as Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols biopic series Pistol, but the music he makes as the frontman of Wunderhorse isn’t quite so cutting edge. It’s not country, either. Here, you’ll find crowd-pleasing, common-denominator guitar anthems.
RIYL: Sam Fender, Fontaines D.C., a totally unworn Rolling Stones T-shirt
NOTABLE RELEASE: Midas is out now via Communion.
[Website]
Honorable mention...
