Wunderhorse is the name of singer-songwriter Jacob Slater’s new solo project and is something that you ought to be listening to. Bursting onto the scene and into my eardrums towards the end of last year with his debut single “Teal“, he immediately grabbed my attention and provided me the necessary relief I was after for a new music fix. His debut single is now arguably my favourite song of the year and a fierce shot in the arm for a UK music scene that often feels homogenised and bland. It’s direct and emotional storytelling of a friend in peril is met with a rousing prog-rock sound that explodes with unbridled rage towards the tracks conclusion, creating a sound unique and honest to the world Wunderhorse operates in.
Since then he has released many new songs, each different from the last, that will go towards his debut album Cub due out on Communion Records on September 16th this year. His latest single “Leader Of The Pack” came out today and is another stormer from the surfer that usually calls Newquay his home.
Set up on a blistering guitar riff reminiscent of early naughties American rock, it’s an immediate foot stomper that really kicks up a gear when Slater’s chorus sings “Some people have a special kind of knack, Of getting what they wanted, Just to stab you in the back, 9 times out of 10 it’s the leader of the pack, Leader of the pack”.
Speaking with Dork, Slater said: “Leader of the Pack is a song about betrayal, about not being able to escape the thing that eats away at you, it’s a song written as a means of getting even”, before further clarifying his current emotional status on Instagram by saying “I’m glad I wrote this when I was still a teenager, otherwise I would have probably calmed down before it came out of me“.
Maturity is certainly a hallmark of Wunderhorse and something Jacob has gone through many different guises to acquire. Previously the frontman of British post-punk band Dead Pretties, and now ironically starring in his first acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s “Pistol”, he is a multifaceted character that has seen many sides of the industry on his road to becoming Wunderhorse. His mileage seems to be paying off, with dexterous new music and slots supporting the likes of Sam Fender, Foals, Fontaines DC, and Sorry, his momentum and notoriety is building, especially as a live performer of which I can wholeheartedly verify having been blown away by his performance at The Lexington in London earlier this year.
In short, Wunderhorse seems to be a pony well worth backing, so make sure you hop on board and listen to his new single “Leader Of The Pack” before you fall behind.
You can catch him performing at his upcoming headline show this year at London’s Lafayette on the 20th of October. Grab your tickets here.
