Held By Horses

In History EP

Written by: PP on 06/12/2012 22:52:25

Here's a cool little EP by a British female fronted band that should appeal to all fans of Paramore, but especially those of them who also enjoy their fair share of emo on the side. Held By Horses, who are from Chelmsford, namely channel their inner Paramore through an emo platform not much unlike Emarosa and Francesqa, which in practice means some sort of halfway point between emo and alternative rock.

But where Hayley Williams' superfluous and pompous stage/studio persona tends to piss me off, Harriet Reynolds offers a much more level-headed and modest performance during "In History". Instead of trying to incite a riot out of teenagers, her vocals are smooth and calming, but also catchy, albeit in a more subtle way. This isn't about halfway shouted grandiosely anthemic choruses like Paramore, this is much more about well-developed vocal melodies and good alternative rock songs that keep their feet to the ground. She might not be technically as advanced as many of her female counterparts, but that's not really an issue here because there's really no need to reach those super high-end notes anyway, especially if you're trying to appeal to others than just the 15-18 year old crowd. And that's something I feel that Held By Horses do better than bands like Hey Monday, Francesqa, etc. Their melodies are mature and borrow a lot from the 90s alt rock scene (with a few passages reminding me of Anouk circa "Nobody's Wife"), so that's another positive. They still need some room to grow, but this is a fine starting point for a promising career.

7

Download: You Win Some You Lose Some, The Last Word
For the fans of: Paramore, Francesqa, Emarosa, Hey Monday
Listen: Facebook

Release date 17.09.2012
Self-Released

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