Watch I Break Horses perform a special stripped-back version of ‘Winter Beats’
aaamusic | On 30, Aug 2011
I Break Horses – ‘Winter Beats’ (Bedroom Sessions) from Bella Union on Vimeo.
“Sumptuously textured soundscapes that pulse with feeling”
The Observer
“Their debut is a hearty beast…there’s punch to go with the poise.”
The Independent
“Maria Linden and Fredrik Balck trade in romantic dream-pop…ethereal harmonies over lush washes of synthes, shimmering electronics and propulsive drum machines. The effect is overblown and beautiful.”
The Times – 4 stars ****
“A masterful and seductive record that sounds as classic as it does progressive”
NME
“Synth, which glows and builds…the most satisfying builds to grace my headphones this year.”
Pitchfork
The Fly
“Hearts sees ethereal Elizabeth Fraser-style vocals fluttering across a fuzzy wash of distorted electronic textures…a captivatingly exquisite sound.”
Q Magazine 3 stars***
Allow us to introduce you to the world of I BREAK HORSES, the nom de plume of Maria Lindén and her musical partner Fredrik Balck. Residing in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, the duo have been meticulously crafting the nine incredible tracks that make up debut album “Hearts” throughout stolen moments gathered up over the past two years.
The task of capturing the sonic density of Lindén’s compositions was painstaking, while Balck’s lyrics, constantly teasing the senses, are at times insular and cold to the touch. It’s only when interpreted by Maria’s gorgeous vocals that a warmth is added, like the first rays of sun on a winters morning. A balancing act of light vs. dark that reveals an exquisite beauty within the darkness.
Although heavily (and openly) influenced by My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive,
Jesus & Mary Chain et al – Hearts is far from an exercise in typical shoegaze fayre. Maria, waif-like and unassuming in person, is transformed on record to sound 10 feet tall. And, perhaps where certain contemporaries would hypnotize the listener into their world by sheer volume alone, I Break Horses lock firmly onto the very thing that makes each and every one of us ‘tick’: our pulse. Our Hearts. The common thread that links the nine songs together; always present, always beating – the album’s strength and presence guided entirely by it.
Coupled with Lindén’s vocal, a seductive Scandinavian croon that’s bathed in an ocean of reverb and tremelo, Hearts is quite the sonic experience. It can’t be defined via a few meagre adjectives or genre classifications; you have to live it, live inside it. It will soak you up, embrace you and give back what you put in… and so much more.
Welcome to the most bewitching debut of the year.
