Horse Jumper of Love, a slow rock trio of native Boston boys, write intimate, heavy, introspective songs. Despite being in their teens and early twenties, their music shows an understanding of their place in the history of the genre, but offers up a genuinely refreshing, modern take. You can hear nods to 90s outside rockers Duster and Silver Jews, and vocal crooning with a likeness to The Antlers' Pete Silverman. They’re steadily rising through New England's slow ’n’ low scene.
They quickly gained a following in the underground scene, becoming a household name throughout Boston’s DIY venues, playing among such bands as Strange Mangers, Soft Fangs, Mal Devisa, Vundabar and Skinny Bones. In these spaces they were able to hash out the songs that would become their first full length, “Horse Jumper of Love”. Commonly referred to simply as Horse Jumper, the band is truly the collaborative effort of its three members. Singer Dimitri Giannopoulos croons non sequiturs about bagel breath, Sour Patch Kids, and wanting to “have a lonely child” over the tasteful warble on his guitar. Jamie Vadala-Doran brings a rarely heard level of competence and restraint from behind the drum kit, while John Margaris lays a heavy layer of double-stopped bass beneath the tracks, bringing their sound to distinct lows.
Horse Jumper of Love is an incredibly lean album. There isn’t a superfluous note on the record. It’s carried by lyrics full of dark imagery, shoegazing guitars, drums that almost have a mechanical precision, and lucid songwriting.
