Midas. Wunderhorse

Wunderhorse has released its second record recently. The first album, 'Cub', did not make it to these pages, despite it being on the stack for a while. The same fate seemed to be in the books for Midas. it didn't though, with thanks to its press agent here in NL. Since, the cd is in rotation in the home alright.

Wunderhorse is the band of Jacob Slater. It started as a solo project but grew into a band, when guitarist Harry Fowler, drummer Jamie Staples and bassist Peter Woodin joined, at first for live shows. After the extensive touring after the release of 'Cub', they started to record Midas as a band, where 'Cub' had been a studio project of Slater.

Midas is an album that has some aspects of post punk bands but more in the grunge and power pop. The combination makes for a varied album with some good rocking songs and solid alternative rock embedded balladry. A song like 'Silver' is a good example here. Rock fans will find enough to their liking, even if the tempo remains mid section at best. Guitars are tough enough, the solo fiery.

In 'Arizona' Wunderhorse manages to latch on to the change most post punk bands from Ireland and the U.K. are finding themselves after a few albums. Despite the way it is played, it is far more direct for one, this is a song in line with the Fontaines DC and Shame playbook. Being from the U.K. that is not that strange, although I hear elements in Midas that give away Slater likes bands from the U.S. from around 1980 that really liked to rock out, like The Romantics or The Knack.

Wunderhorse does show more than one face of its music though. It is far from afraid to bring the tempo really down. Of course, with electric guitars and a drum that is only quiet in a relative way and an underground tension that betrays a deep felt want to explode. 'Superman' is an exercise in reticence. You can feel everyone wanting to jump up and down to and putting up the volume. It's for you to find out what happens here. The arrangement makes for one exciting song.

All in all, I have to conclude that Midas grew on me, slowly but surely. The resulting review is totally deserved.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order Midas here:

https://wunderhorse.bandcamp.com/album/midas