Photos by Kelsey Wagner. Find more of her work here
Shortly after interviewing Wunderhorse in the boiler room that doubles as the green room in the downstairs of Mercury Lounge, I heard murmurs of the band not knowing whether people would show up or not. I didn’t know much about their tour in the U.S., other than that they were opening for one of the best new rock bands, Fontaines D.C. So, I too began to wonder whether or not people would show up “just” for them.
Wunderhorse, fronted by Jacob Slater, came to the U.S. to promote their debut album, ‘Cub.’ For the band to have their live New York debut at Mercury Lounge was special for both myself, and for the band. We discovered a shared love for the music of bands like the Strokes and Interpol, who started out at this venue just over two decades before. It was refreshing to hear their drummer, Jamie, say that while he grew up loving this music, “it’s a bit more nostalgic but still has a place in my heart.” Unlike a lot of young bands, these guys aren’t trying to replicate a sound or image of the past. Instead, they are after the truth in their music and discovering themselves along the way.
By the time they took the stage, their doubts that people wouldn’t show up were squashed. The room was filled with youthful eyes beaming in anticipation. From stage right to stage left, there was Harry on lead guitar, Jacob on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Pete on bass and backup vocals, and Jamie holding it down behind them on drums. They projected a sense of confidence in themselves and with little introduction, they went through their setlist with the vigor and swagger of a true rock and roll band. Success will only be a symptom of this band’s deeply inspired work and artistry.
As they went through their set, tension was built and released as they showed off the range of emotion on ‘Cub.’ But, it was “Teal” that transcended and convinced me that this would not be the last time I would be seeing Wunderhorse on stage. As Harry gripped and manipulated his Telecaster, the sound of his slide burned a hole in my head and made every hair on my body stand straight up. Being the quiet one in the band, Harry’s presence on stage stood out the most because he was there for one simple reason: to play the fucking guitar like it was his last time.
With ‘Cub,’ Wunderhorse embraces their influences such as Radiohead and Neil Young, who come through most clearly on the album. Reflecting on the album, Jacob told shared, “This is my life so far in songs I guess, from 17 year old me to me now. It’s like a literal “record” of my life, you know what I mean?” I do know what he means, and the timeline becomes clear when listening to the differences between songs like “17” and “Epilogue,” written at 17 and while in the studio, respectively. There isn’t an intended overarching concept of this album, instead, Jacob uses this album as a collection of his life from 17 to 25 years old.
While things are certainly looking up for Wunderhorse, they recognize that the job isn’t done and there’s more to figure out regarding their songwriting process. When I asked them about their songwriting process, and whether it’s more spontaneous or methodical, Jamie said, “Um, yeah definitely a bit more spontaneous. I think we will be looking to do some writing retreats, that kind of thing,” to which Pete added, “I guess we’re getting nicely busy now and… I guess the kind of time schedules will become a little bit stricter with when we can actually get together to write as opposed to performing.” It’s always good to see a band with not just talent, but the self-awareness and work ethic to see the road ahead and actualize that talent into success.
It can be argued that succeeding as a band today is harder than it’s ever been. Aside from the age-old struggles of getting signed, artists have to deal with more peripherals of the industry like social media and marketing in an already over-saturated market. But for Wunderhorse, the music remains at the center of their focus. “We’ve always just been very very focused on the music and maybe to a fault, not as focused on the other stuff that goes with it, in the industry context,” shared Slater. What I love about Wunderhorse is that they’re not a band who needs to jump any algorithms to get ahead; their music does speak for itself and Jacob couldn’t have stated it better: “I think it’s all in the music. If you haven’t got decent songs then it doesn’t matter what else you got. So, [we’re] just trying to keep that singular focus as best we can.” What else can anyone ask for out of a rock band?
‘Cub’ is out now on Communion Records
