While Holy Motors’ music is often linked to the traditions of Americana roots music, the band hails from Tallinn, Estonia—an unexpected contrast that only deepens their intrigue. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Slow Sundown, established them as an unmissable force: a band of post-Soviet cowboys and cowgirls crafting music that, as The Fader put it, “sounds like the old West.” What started as a fascination with the American West grew into a genuine embodiment of its dreamy, melancholic spirit, reflected in both their sound and presence. Their 2020 album, Horse, embraces the Americana and rockabilly threads woven into their musical identity while maintaining the ethereal mystique that sets them apart from conventional shoegaze and dream-pop classifications.

Horse refines the cinematic, twangy dreamscapes of Slow Sundown into something more intimate and haunting. The album moves with an eerie, nocturnal grace, blending ghostly, reverb-drenched guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and spectral balladry. From the opening notes, tracks like “Country Church,” with its classic rhythm and blues guitarline, and “Midnight Cowboy,” a slowed-down, dreamlike take on Buddy Holly’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit, reveal new layers to the band. While songs like “Trouble” and “Endless Night” lean into the ethereal production and existential themes of their past work, repeated listens uncover intricate compositions and an underlying empathy. As a whole, Horse offers a warmer, more human contrast to 2018’s celestial Slow Sundown, cementing Holy Motors as a hypnotic force that captivates and lingers long after the last note fades.