Real Melody – Horse Rider ★★★½

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	Real Melody	Horse Rider	★★★½	75	Rock	Alternative Rock	Emo

Central Texas-based band Horse Rider’s 38 minute debut album Real Melody provides emo-influenced lyrics and vocals with a grunge soundboard and slowcore energy. 

The opening half of the album is really strong— with “Hollow” being a standout and “Ragdoll” probably being the heaviest track on the record. While most tracks have sad or bittersweet vocals, the band’s use of a classic soft-loud-soft structure is effective in adding color and some warmth. Simple, soft but catchy guitar riffs lead you through the verses to the big, heavy, emotional choruses featuring dense chords and raw vocals. 

Even though all of the tracks are low-to-mid tempo, the layered guitar work in particular adds intrigue across the entire record, with a good range of energy, distortion and playing styles. There’s acoustic work that’s sometimes used for stripped down and intimate moments (more on the back-half of the record), and other times brings dark, reflective background layers. There’s also well-placed slide guitar sustains and harmonics, some standout lead solos and a lot of loud, fuzzy chords, especially when the songs climax. 

Add in authentic vocals, well-placed harmonies and occasional background horns and electronics that mix in with the feedback, you come away with a textured record that all exists in a pretty refined, overall sound.