Leeds duo The Hunt The Horn make this sort of sweeping, expansive pop music, that owes as much to synth pop as it does to indie and grunge, and could have been influenced by the pair spending an isolated winter in. Greenland. They’ve recently released a new single, Starless, taken from their upcoming album Terrafidella, out later in the year, and have backed it with a version of Neil Young ‘Heart of Gold’.
Starless opens with some stripped back vocals before these layers of synth and squelchy bass take to the stage. Chiming guitars add their weight to the mix, but its singer Clare Carters vocal that really steals the heart. As the ack progresses, so the elements of indie rock seem to outweigh the synths, making it difficult to pigeonhole, but easy to love.
Asked about their cover of Heart of Gold, Carter says “First of all it’s one of our favourite songs ever! But for many artists I think Neil Young is like the godfather of grunge, the angst-filled outsider who manages to write very embracing and accomplished pop songs. He’s an artist for nomads, but the kind of nomads who can’t quite stop caring about their land to leave it completely. This song embodies that sense of wanting to find good and make good when deep down you’re a bit of a weary loner. We identify strongly with that. Also we’ve lived in California, so it’s true I’ve been to Hollywood and Redwood!” certainly its given this hazy, sultry reading, littered with synths and sun baked guitars.
Catch The Hunt The Horn Live in London at The Old Blue Last on 14th April.
