Unwinding Hours - Once Upon a Horse

Unwinding Hours

Once Upon a Horse
self-released; 2022



By Jamie Funk
​

Unwinding Hours is based in Liverpool, UK, and have been playing gigs all over Manchester and London. They also released Once Upon a Horse which is an eight-song album. The band at its core is rock based but they do play with convention here and there and aren’t afraid to experiment with format.

Take for instance the title song “Once Upon A Horse'' which is a little over eight minutes long. After a brief intro the band launches into a somewhat clean but fun groove. The vocals right off the bat reminded me of Morrissey. Something about the delivery and inflection of the words and how he sustained notes. There are a number of engaging riffs and it's also quite dynamic with sections that break down only to come back together. They reach a peak around the five-minute mark with a psychedelic sort of guitar pattern where the guitar player seems to be going up and down the neck. This song is the arguable highlight. Great opener.

“Half a Chemist Shop” is next. This is another very good song. The hook is there and the juxtaposition between a distorted guitar and a cleaner sound panned left and right worked well especially with a nice pair of headphones. 

The mood gets a little melancholy and pensive with “Her and Her Room.” The BPM is a little slower, the vocals have some hurt behind them and the guitar is again very well done. The next track “Something Happened” starts with no warning and the full band is swinging here. It’s a catchy song with the bass and drums that provided a foundation for the song. The hook is again really well done. I was getting glam rock vibes in the spirit of David Bowie on this song. 

“You You You” was definitely darker and haunting sounding than the previous songs. The percussion is also produced in a way that makes it sound electronic. It brightened up a bit and I thought the elements of the music sounded unique as the song progressed.

“Second Chance” was very cool. In fact this song might have my favorite hook. There’s also some experimentation on this song that I wasn’t expecting. “James Joyce Plays Ulysses” contains whispered vocals and feels like a creepy soundscape. Last up is “100 Nights” and it gets pretty experimental as well. The vibe is absurd and I thought of David Lynch.

This is a very cool album. It does sound a bit scattered however. The first half does establish a signature sound but towards the end they start to sound like an entirely different band. I thought some of these songs would have fit better on different releases. 

​Overall, I thought there were some great songs here. Fans of The Smiths, David Bowie and beyond should appreciate this. Take a listen.

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