Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Gift Horse – Plastic People

Formed in Athens, GA in 2008, Gift Horse is Hunter Morris (vocals/keyboards), Mike Stokes (guitar/vocals), Vaughan Lamb (bass), and Brandon Scarboro (drums).

Gift Horse’s captivating and intense live shows have been turning all the right heads throughout the Southeast and in New York, where they’ve built a large and loyal following based on what keeps being referenced as a wholly unique and utterly refreshing sound. The songs are about honesty and inevitability, but the sound certainly takes the listener as far from reality as one might care to venture. 2010 will see the release of their debut album, Mountain of Youth, and their first full national tour.

But as much as they’re eager for the promise of the very near future, it’s the last year of a true labor of love that has gotten Gift Horse to this point. This band has worked diligently to prepare their concoction of melody and atmosphere that, on record, or live and in person, is completely captivating and never lacking in depth or delivery.

Gift Horse’s sound has drawn a wide array of comparisons from the psychedelic shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine, to the mid-’90s grunge of The Smashing Pumpkins and The Breeders, to the ambient drone-rock of bands like Low and The Black Angels. Above all else, Gift Horse operates with an understanding that a song, no matter how well written it may be, is only as effective as the mood it conveys.