Biography
Sweden's I Break Horses fuse the opulent textures of shoegaze with the distant sweep of synth pop, creating a distinctive alloy animated by the commanding and frequently enigmatic voice of Maria Lindén. The project began by channeling the guitar-saturated intensity of My Bloody Valentine on its 2011 debut Hearts, later shifting toward electronic instrumentation for the 2014 follow-up Chiaroscuro, before resurfacing after an extended absence with the 2020 album Warnings, a collection that merged dream pop and synth pop within an expansive, deliberately unfolding majesty.
Lindén, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, first connected with lyricist Fredrik Balck in 2008 through an improbable encounter: both admitted hypochondriacs, they frequented an identical online health discussion board and found overlapping musical preferences. They elected to collaborate, spending the subsequent three years assembling material and laying down their first record. While Lindén handled most of the composition and vocals, Balck supplied the words; Hearts appeared on Bella Union in 2011, drawing sonic inspiration from My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and exploring themes of life's precariousness in its lyrics. Buoyed by the debut's reception, the band added further personnel and supported M83 on a 2012 U.S. tour, followed by European dates alongside Sigur Rós in 2013. During those latter performances Lindén experienced a pivotal shift that eased the severe stage fright previously hindering live shows.
Recording for the next album commenced the year after, yielding the more somber and emotionally intense Chiaroscuro, issued in early 2014. Lindén again produced and tracked the material, with Balck contributing lyric concepts and the two completing tracks jointly, though synthesizers assumed greater prominence while guitars largely receded. Once the album's promotional commitments concluded, Lindén pursued an alternate sonic direction for the group. The endeavor proved laborious, marked by lost hard-drive data, shifting studio environments, and unproductive partnerships. Ultimately she worked alone at home, shaping a richly cinematic release whose shoegaze roots occasionally intersect modern pop. Chris Coady handled mixing, selected by Lindén for his affinity with similarly lush projects such as Beach House, and Warnings reached listeners in May 2020.
Lindén, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, first connected with lyricist Fredrik Balck in 2008 through an improbable encounter: both admitted hypochondriacs, they frequented an identical online health discussion board and found overlapping musical preferences. They elected to collaborate, spending the subsequent three years assembling material and laying down their first record. While Lindén handled most of the composition and vocals, Balck supplied the words; Hearts appeared on Bella Union in 2011, drawing sonic inspiration from My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and exploring themes of life's precariousness in its lyrics. Buoyed by the debut's reception, the band added further personnel and supported M83 on a 2012 U.S. tour, followed by European dates alongside Sigur Rós in 2013. During those latter performances Lindén experienced a pivotal shift that eased the severe stage fright previously hindering live shows.
Recording for the next album commenced the year after, yielding the more somber and emotionally intense Chiaroscuro, issued in early 2014. Lindén again produced and tracked the material, with Balck contributing lyric concepts and the two completing tracks jointly, though synthesizers assumed greater prominence while guitars largely receded. Once the album's promotional commitments concluded, Lindén pursued an alternate sonic direction for the group. The endeavor proved laborious, marked by lost hard-drive data, shifting studio environments, and unproductive partnerships. Ultimately she worked alone at home, shaping a richly cinematic release whose shoegaze roots occasionally intersect modern pop. Chris Coady handled mixing, selected by Lindén for his affinity with similarly lush projects such as Beach House, and Warnings reached listeners in May 2020.
Albums
Singles