A Chat with Mild Horses (15.02.23)
The brainchild of singer-songwriter Matthew Leuw, Mild Horses blends elements of indie-rock, post-punk, new wave, dream-pop, and some other genres to prove he is not one to be pigeon-holed. Featured in various publications, such as Essentially Pop and Roadie Music, Mild Horses is reaching audiences on a global scale. We speak with the Mild Horses about his new album, Return To Dust, what music means to him and creating music in a digital world.
OSR: How did Mild Horses come about?
Mild Horses: Mild Horses is a musical project I started in around 2010, mainly to record some experimental compositions that I’d been knocking around, but eventually became more song-oriented, and was for about a year around 2012 a band who played a few shows. It has now shifted again into a solo recording project, but it’s more song orientated with a bit of experimental weirdness still lurking around in the background.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Mild Horses: Music means a lot to me, I’ve been fascinated by it ever since I was young and started hearing songs on the radio. I was always wanting to know how they were made and how people are able to harness this magic.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Return To Dust?
Mild Horses: The album is vaguely conceptually linked by a thread of songs which are about death and the limited time we have to do the things we want to do and about the nature of creativity and how it sits with our day-to-day lives.
OSR: What were the most exciting and most challenging aspects of creating Return To Dust?
Mild Horses: I have found that recording at home is a constant learning process as I’d previously recorded in studios with producers and engineers who would have pushed the knobs and pulled the faders, which always seemed like wizardry. I’m just loving the journey though, the fact that I get a record out of it at the end is almost an added bonus.
OSR: How would you describe your music to new listeners?
Mild Horses: I would say that it’s a kind of psychedelic electro-dream-pop. It’s heavily inspired by a lot of bands and artists that have taken a freewheeling/anything-goes approach to songwriting and sculpting of sound.
OSR: Which are your favourite and least favourite tracks on the album?
Mild Horses: My favourite changes daily, it’s currently the title track ‘Return To Dust’ which is probably as close to prog-rock as I’ve ever felt comfortable getting. I don’t really have a least favourite, they’re all quite special to me for different reasons.
OSR: If you could change one thing about Return To Dust, what would it be and why?
Mild Horses: There’s always something you hear afterwards and you end up thinking something like “oh, what if I’d let that reverb ring out a bit longer” or “that synth should be doing a counter melody here”, but at some point, you have to draw the line and get the thing out into the world. Otherwise, you end up chipping away at it forever!
OSR: If you weren’t pursuing a career in music, what would you be doing with your life?
Mild Horses: My life wouldn’t feel as rich as it does with this as a part of it. I stopped doing music for a few years and it felt like something was missing.
OSR: What is the most challenging aspect of being a musician in this digital era?
Mild Horses: It is hard from a monetary point of view, but then I’ve never been able to rely on music as a main revenue stream and have always had to work a day job alongside making music throughout my career.
OSR: What about the most advantageous aspect?
Mild Horses: Record companies are no longer necessary in order for an artist to get their music to the listener which creates great opportunities, particularly for artists who are happy ploughing their own furrow.
OSR: Do you have future plans for Mild Horses?
Mild Horses: I’m having a little time off from recording for a while, but before long I’m sure I’ll start getting some ideas about a third Mild Horses album.
Many thanks to Matthew Leuw for speaking with us! For more from Mild Horses, check out his official website, Twitter and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
