Get To Know : Brown Horse
Were there any particular moments that inspired the writing of your recent album ‘All the Right Weaknesses’
Patrick: With five of us pitching in songs for this album, it’s tricky to pick out any particular moments of inspiration. Having said that, ATRW is kind of a road album, and it came together during the long run of the shows we played in February/March last year. Driving crazy distances between strange places every day and then playing shows every night really fed into both the lyrics and the sound, and we tried to carry as much of that feeling as we could into the studio.
Your music has drawn comparisons to artists like Uncle Tupelo and Songs: Ohia, but also hints at British folk traditions. Are there any musicians or records that continue to ground or surprise you as you write?
Emma: Dan Wriggins from the band Friendship has this covered for me. He writes about the every day and the mundane in a way you don’t see in a lot of song writing - going to the bank, paperwork for the DMV. He does it so cleverly, with this inimitable phrasing, making every line feel so grand, so profound. And maybe that’s so. One of our favourites to sing is the chorus for Ramekin, from Love Thy Stranger:
Ramekin
With the grape jelly remnants
Recalling
Sticky resentment
Who have you been listening to lately, either collectively as a band or individually? Are there any unexpected artists you’ve found yourselves drawn to on the road?
Nyle: We’re on the road so often that we tend to end up listening to a ton of music together in the van. Alternative country is an obvious influence for us, and we’ve spent a lot of time listening to great artists like Lucinda Williams, Richmond Fontaine and Richard Buckner. But sometimes the odd track one of us puts on in the van really grabs us with some amazing songwriting, and that’s how we’ve found some artists we really love, like Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, or Lily Seabird, both of which Patrick promoted a show for in Norwich recently. We got to play support, play as Lily’s backing band and just hang out with some amazing musicians we’ve spent hours listening to together, it was a dream come true. Bluegrass cover albums have also recently been pretty big in the van. I’d particularly recommend Cornbread Red’s Bluegrass Tribute to Linkin Park.
Are there any non-musical influences that help shape your work? Any books, films, art, or even daily rituals?
Rowan: I think we’re all very influenced by what we read and watch and it maybe comes through in our songs in different ways. I know Nyle and Emma have both pointed to books that have in one way or other prompted them to write something themselves. There are a few direct references in our songs, but more often it’s probably a certain atmosphere in a novel or movie that inspires us. There’s an intensity and wild energy in John Cassavetes’ films, especially the ones with Gena Rowlands, that I’ve always wanted to replicate in some way. Emma does the artwork for our albums and her visual style is there in her songwriting, but also helps shape how we all think about each record as it’s coming together. I don’t know about daily rituals, but we definitely joke around a lot and I think a lot of the time we land on something when we’re trying to make each other laugh.
What’s next for Brown Horse coming into the new year?
Patrick: We’ll be back in the studio in November, so with any luck we’ll have some new music to share next year.
Catch The Tubs at the Gob Nation All Dayer -The Dome, 25th October, 2025