Dead Horse One

French band Dead Horse One combine a heavy two-guitar attack with lush psych-tinged dream pop and shoegaze textures. Following a scattering of smaller releases, they established themselves around Europe in the middle part of the 2010s, issuing a pair of well-received albums and playing with like-minded forebears like Ride and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The group's third LP, The West Is the Best, appeared at the end of 2019. After this, their sound became heavier and more intense, especially on 2024's Seas of Static.

Formed in the Southern French city of Valence in 2011, Dead Horse One came together around the quartet of Olivier Debard (vocals, guitar), Ludovic Naud (vocals, bass), Antoine Pinet (drums), and Jérôme Simonian (guitar). Taking influence from bands like Swervedriver, Ride, and the Telescopes, they developed a melodic mix of shoegaze, droning noise pop, and gentle psychedelia that could be heard on their eponymous debut EP and the Heavenly Choir of Jet Engines EP, both of which arrived in 2012. For their full-length debut, Dead Horse One hired Ride frontman Mark Gardener to produce, and the resulting album, Without Love We Perish, arrived on the Dead Bees label in 2014.

The next few years saw the band establish themselves on the European touring circuit while enduring their first lineup change. Departing guitarist Simonian was replaced by Maxime Garcia, while a fifth member, Ivan Tziboulsky, joined on the keyboards and guitar. Signing with Requiem Pour un Twister, they recorded their follow-up album, 2017's Season of Mist, with producer John Loring of the California band Fleeting Joys. Loring, along with his wife and bandmate, Rorika Loring, also came aboard for Dead Horse One's third LP, The West Is the Best, in 2019.

Over the next few years, their sound underwent a significant shift. The 2022 EP When Love Runs Dry bore a heavy grunge influence with sludgy distorted guitars underpinning the ethereal vocal melodies. This trend continued on Dead Horse One's fourth full-length, Seas of Static. Released in 2024 and mixed by Brendan Williams (Warm, Soul Blind), the 11-song set was their most aggressive release to date. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi