Blackened fields unfold up blackened hills, and border off in the distance up against blackened mountains. Ashes fall, the wipers, on “Slow”, smear the soot across the wet windshield, and the steam rising from burnt trees in the misty rain mixes with the fog rising from the burnt ground.
The smell of yesterday’s smoke and today’s damp earth is pungent and thick, and somehow oddly comforting. A landscape of endless green and gold has been rendered monotone, like a 1950s TV, where all is now black except for the gray, cloudy sky.
No signs of life here aside from the odd bird flying by, screeching as it comments from on high, “Don’t hold on.” The horses, they knew this. They ran. From the first whiff of smoke, they knew there’s no point in holding onto something you can never control, you can’t negotiate with, something that’s lost. They’ll be back, in time. When the earth heals and life returns, so will they.
But they’ll never stop running. They’re wild horses. That’s what they do.
“The melodic motif and chords for Horses had accompanied me for some time but had never found their rightful place. After playing a demo to Laura, it was as though she knew what the track needed all along. Using the space in the song wisely, being sure not to fill it. The vocals nurture the main melodic theme and transport it further into an ethereal realm."
Brodie Myles White, composer
“The inspiration for "Horses" came to me when I was driving through the Santa Monica Mountains in April 2019 and was deeply moved by the majestic nature surrounding me. It filled me with great humility to witness the incredible strength with which nature reclaimed its existence after the devastating wildfires.
The song reflects the passion and courage required to stand up for oneself, to embrace something with full force, just like the radiant power and passion of summer or, indeed, horses running freely in their freedom.”
Laura Carbone, Composer
“Horses” is the second single from Laura Carbone’s upcoming 13-song double-album, “The Cycle”. Produced by Laura and her band’s lead guitarist Mark Eric Lewis, mixed by Collin Dupuis (St. Vincent, The Black Keys, Lana Del Rey), mastered by Philipp Welsing (Original Mastering Hamburg),
“The Cycle” explores the emotional turmoil and triumphs a transformative experience brings for the protagonist, the heroine behind the concept album as she moves through the seasons of a year.
The debut single released this past April marked the springtime, the first season of the cycle, with the lush, wistful “Mourning Each Day Away”, heralding a mission statement of determination and rebirth, and an album of unbridled musical ambition and passion.
“Horses” now follows, embodying the summer with its lazy, hazy groove and loungey soundtrack, topped by a goosebump-inducing vocal from Laura inspired by Sade, Elizabeth Fraser, and all Laura Carbone. “Don’t hold on, wild horses.” You know who you are. “Run with your wild horses.” Because that’s what you do.
In keeping with “The Cycle”, Laura and her band will be releasing a new single every season until the album’s release in the spring of 2024. Each single is representative of an experience or inspiration associated with that season and the story of our heroine personally, culminating then next spring with the release of “The Cycle”.
— Jeff Collier
lyrics
Thunder is rolling
Down the sky
Ashes are falling
And the moon is rising high
Fields so golden
They will all be black
Fields so golden
Will you come back?
Oh Mother you’re calling
Through the night
Father sends warnings
While the moon is rising high
Fields so golden
They are still so black
Fields so golden
Will you come back?
Don’t hold on, wild horses
Run with your wild horses
Don’t hold on, wild horses
Run with your wild horses
Don’t hold on to wild horses
Run with your wild horses
Don’t hold on to wild horses
Run with your wild horses
credits
released August 11, 2023
released August 11th, 2023
Words by Laura Carbone
Music by Brodie Myles White & Laura Carbone, Mark Eric Lewis, Jeff Collier, André Leo
Recorded by Mark Eric Lewis at Junxt Studios, Berlin and Aporia Studios, Los Angeles
Produced by Laura Carbone and Mark Eric Lewis
Mixed by Collin Dupuis
Mastered by Philipp Welsing at Original Mastering Hamburg
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