Ears Wide Open: Molly Horses

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Molly Horses (Photo by Malcolm Watts)

Molly Horses is a new L.A. new post-punk quartet featuring former members of FonFon Ru, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and Wilderness. Originally from the East Coast, vocalist-guitarist Harry James and drummer Tim Wright left their day jobs for La La Land, where they were joined by Cormac Brown on guitar and Malcolm Watts on bass.

They debuted today in blistering fashion with the self-recorded single “Beatty,” a four-on-the-floor harangue about auto maintenance mishaps, teen labor, frozen treats and the discomfort of aging. “Maybe I’ll get a job at the Dairy Queen / There will always be a job at the Dairy Queen,” James speak-sings in acidly over extremely modulated guitar madness and a chugging rhythm section. If you like to live dangerously, crank up the volume.

Fans of the bands Shame and Protomartyr will be pleased with James’ diatribe on small-town malaise: “This town is eating me / It’s eating you and it’s eating him / And I think it’s starting to get to the bottom of me.”

Molly Horses will release their second single in early 2024, followed by their debut LP, which is currently in production at their home studio.

||| Stream: “Beatty”