Brown Horse (Patrick Turner, Nyle Holihan, Emma Tovell and Rowan Braham) present “Sorrow Reigns,” the second single from the band’s upcoming album, Total Dive, out April 10 via Loose Music. A rockin’ squall of fuzzed-out lap steel and haunted organ, “Sorrow Reigns” sketches stubborn vignettes penned by Tovell of twisted beauty and disillusionment. Confident, powerful and focused, the track finds the Norwich, UK band fully in control, cutting through the noise to reflect on a strange, painful world with hard-won humour and clarity. It arrives with a music video featuring a performance of the band backed by glorious greenscreen.
They have also announced that they will be supporting Courtney Marie Andrews on her UK tour this month before heading out for their own headline tour in April followed by their first tour of North America in May. A full list of dates can be found below—follow the band on Instagram for future news.
Last month, Brown Horse announced Total Dive with the Holihan-penned “Twisters,” which was shared by The Line of Best Fit and added to The Guardian’s Best New Tracks playlist.
Their strongest and most grounded work to date, Total Dive showcases a new level of skill and assurance in the Norwich, UK band’s thoughtful lyricism and musicality. Leaning away from the playfulness and eclecticism of their previous works, Total Dive sees Brown Horse step forward into the darkness with a cautious optimism. As they move confidently between searing noise and delicate reflection, they take time to note the beauty and agony of the mundane; the death rattle of a vending machine, headlights flashing in the eyes of a road-killed fox, the heather-pink of a winter sky.
The new album is the clearest expression yet of Brown Horse’s unique sound: somewhere between the stark country rock of Uncle Tupelo, the raw intimacy of early Cat Power, and the haunted landscapes of Magnolia Electric Co., while embracing the self-possessed noisiness of alt-rock trailblazers like Built to Spill and The Breeders. Bolstered by the playing of Norwich drummer Ben Rodwell and the vocal harmonies of Leeds-based musician Neve Cariad, Total Dive is the sound of a band coming fully into their own. These are songs inhabited by wide Norfolk skies, thousands of shared miles on the road, the noise of heartbreak and humour, and the echoing silence of long hours spent in strange in-between places.
Pre-order Total Dive today on LP and CD. Brown Horse embarks on a tour of the UK in April, followed by their first tour of North America in May. A full list of dates can be found below—follow the band on Instagram for future news.
Brown Horse on tour:
Feb 19 Leeds – Brudenell Social Club (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Feb 22 Manchester – Gorilla (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Feb 23 Glasgow – Saint Luke’s (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Feb 26 London – Islington Assembly Hall (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Feb 27 Bristol – Lantern (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Feb 28 Brighton – Chalk (w/ Courtney Marie Andrews)
Mar 19 Manchester, UK – Night & Day
Apr 09 Southbourne, UK – The Larder House
Apr 10 Falmouth, UK – Wanderfal
Apr 11 Bristol, UK – Outer Town Festival
Apr 12 Oxford, UK – The Jericho Tavern
Apr 15 Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
Apr 16 Luton, UK – The Bear Club
Apr 17 Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
Apr 18 Ipswich, UK – St. Stephen’s Church
May 02 Los Angeles, CA – Permanent Records Roadhouse
May 03 Ojai, CA – Deer Lodge
May 05 San Francisco, CA – Make-Out Room
May 07 Seattle, WA – Baba Yaga
May 08 Trout Lake, WA – Trout Lake Hall
May 09 Portland, OR – Polaris Hall
May 10 Vancouver, BC – The Pearl
May 13 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
May 14 Chicago, IL – The Hideout
May 15 Detroit, MI – Lager House
May 16 Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern
May 17 Burlington, VT – house show
May 19 Boston, MA – O’Brien’s
May 20 New York, NY – Night Club 101
July 24 Deer Shed Festival – UK
