Band of Horses – Mirage Rock first listen

We were lucky enough to be invited along to the Sony offices yesterday to have a listen to the upcoming album by Band of Horses.

Mirage Rock is their first to be produced by Glyn Johns, who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who has worked with the likes of The Beatles, The Who, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones. The record was recorded at Sunset Sound studio in LA and follows their third album, 2010’s Infinite Arms

On first listen, this fourth offering seems, in places, a little more urgent, insistent and less ethereal than what you’re used to. Brilliantly rocky lead single, Knock Knock – which you might have heard on your radio of late – is a decent yardstick for this. Mirage Rock isn’t a massive departure though, How To Livesounds very much like, well, Band of Horses, with its heartfelt lyrics, “I really don’t have to suffer, I still do it anyway/I’m a diamond in the rough or I’m a dirt clod in the clay/Guess what? I lost my job, it’s just my luck.” There are lots of nice country elements too, while the whole thing wraps up with some beautiful strings on Everything’s Gonna Be Undone

We’re looking forward to getting to know the record better. It’s due for release in September. You can pre-order it now via iTunes.