TAKEN FROM THE RISING FOLK MUSICIAN’S DEBUT EP LANDING THIS AUTUMN
Lyrically exploring the idea of releasing yourself from an unhealthy past, and in particular the notion of leaving the town in which you grew up in, HORRSE puts an atmospheric spin on the subject matter with a solid folk track that also welcomes tinges of country in it’s guitar licks and a pop vocal delivery.
Speaking about the track, Ragnar Finsson a.k.a. HORRSE says, “’You’re a Ghost’ is about letting go of things that aren’t useful anymore, things that are weighing you down and leaving them behind. It can be anything: people, places, or even parts of yourself. The mood is both melancholy and uplifting at the same time, which makes sense with the lyrics. To me, it’s like the pain and sadness of letting go is often the price you have to pay for the joy and excitement of a new adventure, and the interplay of all these emotions is what I tried to capture in ‘You’re a Ghost’.”
HORRSE’s debut EP is scheduled for release later this Autumn, and across four intricate folk-leaning songs the musician hopes to spark a connection with a universal audience as he offers, “Even though I’m a folk guy, I want to create and not just preserve. I want actual humans to connect with my music, whether they’re folkies or not.”
About HORRSE
Ragnar Finsson experienced a formative musical epiphany when he first played his family’s guitar as a nine-year-old. He had been struggling at school, feeling “super alien”, but that guitar lit a pathway forwards, as he explains, “When I picked it up and started strumming it was like everything had faded to grey without me even knowing. And now, suddenly, life was exploding with colour that I didn’t even know was missing.”
Sixteen years and plenty more time with the guitar on, those colours burst out of the 25-year-old Faroe Islands folk musician as he gears up to release his debut EP as HORRSE, via Tutl Records later this year. In just four tracks, he establishes himself as a musician of great warmth, empathy, care and imagination, whose sharpened sensitivity to psychological struggle, societal unease and ambient sound reflects a highly modern reinterpretation of deep folk traditions.
Music runs through Finsson’s DNA, growing up in a highly musical family with his mother, a singer, and his father, a studio engineer and professional session keyboardist/pianist. This influence first came to fruition in an early band formed with friends, where he played covers of the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Green Day, Blink-182 and AC/DC.
With other influences including Sam Amidon, José Gonzalez, Lightning Hopkins, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and RL Burnside, Finsson was on the road to HORRSE. Besides the EP’s melodic precision and subtleties of instrumental colour, the songs on the upcoming EP unfold on the back of supple grooves, opening up the space and flexibility needed for Finsson’s melodies and layered lyrics to connect with audiences.
Other key ingredients include Finsson’s collaborators. The sometime drummer for Faroese singer-songwriter and local hero Eivør, Høgni Lisberg produced and played drums on the EP. Árni Jóhannesson, from Finsson’s old punk band, played bass. Kristian Pauli Ellefsen, local jazz powerhouse, played keys; close friend Vinjar Egilsness Petersen was the in-studio engineer.
Wherever HORRSE’s journey leads, these exquisite, agile first steps serve loving notice of a bold, brilliant newcomer’s arrival – much like his namesake.
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My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
