Haifa’s Gunned Down Horses Release Latest Single, ‘Summersong’

I for one am tired as hell of the proverbial two-minute and 33 second ‘hit’ that repeatedly dares to defy any of music’s many boundaries. In fact, predictable, unpleasant, and dry, is how I’d typically describe a such an ‘experience.’ The antithesis, however, is how I’d describe Haifa-based Gunned Down Horses’ new track, Summersong.

Debuting as the first single from its album ‘Le Petit Suicide,’ the band’s trumpet player Boris Bendikov starts off with a solo reminiscent old Jewish folk tunes, and Bach’s Fugue in G minor BWV 578, showcasing the band’s obvious classical roots.

Summersong continues with the sound of frontman Davidav Dolev whisper-singing the words ”a year ago there was a war, but I wrote poems about my lover, there was no sign from my own brother, the only rings were the alarms,” words written by Dolev himself. The band’s former bassist Or Rozenfeld and Dolev co-wrote the music.

Cinematically written in a whimsical and free ⅜ meter, the song further explores 6/8, and has a single bar in 1/8 time. This not only leaves listeners on their toes waiting for the next booming downbeat, but rather puts true music lovers, in a state of pure syncopated bliss. The band describes its sound as “cinematic cabaret pop / experimental pop.”

At its core, the tune is simple, but what really puts the icing on the musical cake is the lead singer’s deep, raw, and very versatile voice which pairs nicely with the rest of the ensemble. The band says it is inspired by a wide array of musicians.

“The main inspiration for Gunned Down Horses music is film music, 70s American movies, and experimental art music in the form of pop songs. We love artists who create new context and deliver their messages via many styles. We even draw inspiration from our love of oldies and chansons from from around the world. We also love cabaret-style music, surrealism and when bands don’t fit the ‘typical’ mold of what a band should be,” Dolev said.

The band itself is made up of an artsy group of five twenty-somethings like Adam Uriel Burstein, who plays every damn thing (but mainly guitar) and does it extremely well. Burstein has even taken a stab or two at composing the occasional tune for the band. He currently studies music and philosophy at the University of Haifa.

Nadav Goldberg, the band’s bassist, and Yuval Tamir, the band’s drummer and owner of DOUBLE B Studio in Haifa, also help complete the musical quintet.

Soon to release its album “Le Petit Suicide,” the Gunned Down Horses will also perform an all new show “Gunned Down Horses Orchestra,” which features unique arrangements for ten musicians. The band will also release live videos of the concert.

You can find out more about the group’s upcoming tour schedule here, which kicks off in Europe.