Pulled Apart By Horses - 'Pulled Apart By Horses' (Transgressive) Released: 21/06/10

Never before have I experienced such pure animal ferocity in a debut album until I heard the self-titled product of Leeds band Pulled Apart By Horses. Their name describes them to a tee: impossible, savage and completely off the wall. Known for merging the remnants of
four decent acts from the Northern city into one shining rock beacon of kick ass riffs and attitude, these four lads are destined for greatness, and they’re not coming quietly.

The eleven track debut sees live favourites ‘The Crapsons’ and ‘The Lighthouse’ championed where before they lay desolate on b-sides, but it is the raucous opener 'Back To The **** Yeah' that sets the tone. Bash about noise supports Tom Hudson’s throat ripping shrieks with such energy it’s hard to ignore what follows.

But what does follow is a tour of the band’s music and film influences displayed with humour and a ferocity so rarely translated from live performance to studio album. Simply take ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Noise Dive’, which leaps from 90s punk rock style, bounds into catchy squeals of “I’ll let you dance with my balls on fire!” and surrenders to self
indulgent guitar solos. It’s their haphazard nature which maintains the album’s energy and the mismatched composition of ‘I Punched A Lion In the Throat' showcases their writing style faultlessly.

‘Get Off My Ghost Train's' deep baseline and energetic drum beats ring of Queens of the Stone Age influence, but is undeniably more bizarre and youthful in it’s execution. ‘Meat Balloon’ gives the lads a chance to take on the persona of 80s film icons Bill and Ted howling their catchline: “Awesome. Radical. Awesome.Totally Bodacious!” But it’s ‘I’ve Got A Guest List To Rory O’Hara’s Suicide’ which sheds light on the warped state of mind these boys write from.

Pulled Apart By Horses don’t mess about, despite all the tracks coming in under three and half minutes they manage to get to the point every time- reigning me in with catchy yelps and head banging instrumentals and leaving me achingly desperate for more fuel for the fire of my forgotten teenage angst.