If you’re a fan of New Zealand post-rock titans Jakob, Kerretta or How To Kill, then listen up. Wellington’s post-rock virtuosos Spook The Horses released their debut album Brighter at the tail end of ’11, and it’s stacked with epically inclined tunes that harness all the juxtaposing dynamics you could ever hope for from a heavyweight atmospheric outfit.
Containing six tracks spread out over an hour, Spook The Horses’ debut is both stunningly ambitious and highly accomplished. Making full use of a trio of guitarists, and with synth, samples and scouring vocals scattered throughout, Brighter kicks off with the furious, rolling might of “Very Little Is Certain, But” and never looks back.
Heavier, more substantially metallic fare like the seething sweeps of “Paper Harbors, Hanging Skies” are counterpointed with the mellifluous introspective passages that adorn “My Memories Will Be of Muted Greys” and “Ashen Smiles and Backlit Clouds”. And the band drops back even further into melancholic climes on “My Songs Will Be Sung in White”, before unleashing a torrent of sweeping harmonics on the final 12 minutes of ”My Photographs Will Be of Skylines”.
Nuanced, intelligent and progressively minded, Brighter is equal parts brutish and soothing, and like the very best post-rock it’s an all-encompassing listen packed with hypnotic charm.