Jacob Slater has been around the block once already through his time with South London punks Dead Pretties: who disappeared after just a few short months of chaos and press hype in 2019.
Still in his early twenties, Wunderhorse – Jacob’s new solo project – is his second bite of the cherry, marking an audible maturity in his sound.
These new songs have mellowed somewhat in comparison to his old sound, becoming more ambitious and well-written in the process. Don’t fear though, Dead Pretties fans, Jacob has held on to that bite that made us love him the first time around.
New single ’17’ takes the vast escapism of The War on Drugs, and blends it with an unmistakable sense of youth. Check out the vid and our Q&A with Wunderhorse below.
‘Teal’, ‘Poppy’ and now ‘17’ all mark a pretty big range in sound, what other genre touchstones will your releases be visiting in the near future?
Death Metal.
Has being immersed in the world of Sex Pistols impacted the music you’ve been writing lately?
I went through a big sex pistols/clash faze when I was a teenager and I guess that helped shape the way I write songs but I don’t think my heads in that place musically anymore. I gave up trying to be a punk a while ago, I didn’t have the hair for it.
How has your experience in Dead Pretties informed Wunderhorse?
It taught me the work ethic that goes with being in a band, the general dos and donts y’know? It also taught me that lots of people in the music industry are very good at making promises.
Have any songs that you originally wrote in Dead Pretties been revisited under the new project?
The new single ’17’ was written around the time dead pretties formed but it was dormant for a long time because it didn’t really fit with what we were doing back then.
What can we expect from Wunderhorse in 2022? An EP? Festival appearances??
A few more singles and an album. Hopefully lots of touring and a few festival appearances too.
New single ’17’ is out now via Communion Music. Wunderhorse’s death metal release is yet to be scheduled.
Wunderhorse headlines The Lexington in London on 10th March. Tickets available here via Dice.fm
photo credit: Holly Whittaker
