Listen: I Break Horses – Winter Beats

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After having its first ever play on May’s The Line of Best Fit podcast, ‘Winter Beats’ by Swedish duo I Break Horses was today featured on Pitchfork’s Forkast page, and given its ceremonial release into the blogosphere.

A slightly odd month to release a track called ‘Winter Beats’ perhaps, but the blue sky outside takes nothing away from the illustrative power of the song – the increasingly loud synth line at the beginning immediately transporting you to a frost covered landscape, the sunlight refracted off the glistening white surfaces. The growing layers feel like the waking process after a hibernation, whilst the singing of Maria Lindén – low and veiled by the shoegaze fug – are like a siren call coaxing you to consciousness.

The reverb-laden mix swells, and as soon as your ear picks out an individual sound, it melts away again into the haze. The drum beat, which mimics a human pulse, adds to the feeling that the song is coming to life, and despite the haziness of the lyrics, the tone of hope and optimism cannot be clearer. It’s the song to play when you’re past the drinking in pyjamas stage of a break up, when you start to appreciate that life will continue – the spring defrosting of the bleak winter landscape, the cold light of dawn after night.

‘Winter Beats’ is taken for I Break Horses’ debut album Hearts which is released on August 15 by Bella Union.

I Break Horses – Winter Beats by The Line Of Best Fit