New Music 2012

New York’s Firehorse present an interesting mix of radio-consciousness and, in fact, commercial savvy with slightly leftfield sonic leanings. Like an amalgamation of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kate Bush, theirs is a sound which fizzles with uber-cool pretensions, but a melodic sensibility that suggests a pop leaning and a love of well crafted counterpoints.

Lead singer Leah Siegel has the alluring visual aesthetic that could break the band with a mainstream audience (one which, these days, is seemingly obsessed with those that look ‘cool’). The video for new single ‘Our Hearts’ projects what could well be a new ‘star’ in full force as she dances around glancing effortlessly with sexual appeal at the camera. Her voice sinks with breathiness at points and swaggers with knowing confidence at others, providing the listener with an interesting mix of part-emotional vulnerability, part-showgirl idiosyncrasies.

The deftness of their approach is really highlighted in the weepy ‘If You Don’t Want to be Alone’, which accompanies an advert for the Topsy Foundation’s advert on reversing the effect of Aids on human lives. This song in particular, with its sparse, reverberated rhythm guitar and call to poignant rationalising could well break the band.

What we seemingly have, then, is a captivating front-woman leading a band with thought-arousing sonic leanings against songs catchy enough for airplay. It seems as if the world really could be Firehorse’s oyster.

Words by Luke Cloherty

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