Manchester's HORLA Sing & Tell about their indie-rock sound and inspiration behind new single 'Stare Down The Walls'

The newly formed Manchester four-piece HORLA made their debut last April with the atmospheric 'Into The Void'. They kick off 2020 with their first single of the decade, ‘Stare Down The Walls’, released in January, with a follow-up video revealed last week.


Who are you? 

Hello! I’m Nathan Howard and I sing and play guitar and piano. Our band also consists of Joshua Leach (bass), Rob Evans (drums) and Max Mawdsley (lead guitar).

Tell us something about yourself and how you came to be where you are today.

We’re all Manchester-based musicians, except josh who lives up in the hills of Huddersfield. We’re all seasoned musicians who have been in and around the scene for quiet some time in various other notable projects either as session players or full-time members. I was drumming for Embers back in 2015 when I met Rob who was playing for Bipolar Sunshine and Josh was in a heavier band called Adelaide, but we came together through mutual connections and our paths crossing from time to time really and discussing what we all were working on. I had written over an album’s worth tracks during my time in Embers and had a project name. Everything happened really organically. I met Max through a musicians union website when I was searching for decent players! He was the first guy to respond who looked the part and could play guitar incredibly well. Some might say it was fate unfolding.

Give us an idea of your musical style and influences.

I guess people would describe us as progressive, cinematic indie-rock. We love a sense of drama in our music which the crowd can indulge and get lost in. Biffy Clyro, Muse and Radiohead are all favourites across the board. We throw a whole load of influences into our sound. We love great simple pop songs with catchy hooks, but also like to try to be progressive and build a world around each song aesthetically. Rob and I have a love for great beat mathematicians - elite players that dominate stage with heavyweight pop artists and Max likes the super technical guitar players.

Explain the production and writing process behind your songs.

Usually it starts with an acoustic guitar demo/vocal idea, then other instruments, textures, layers are built around that once there’s a feel there - it could be a lyrical theme that sparks a certain sound or mood. Then we add various embellishments through or live strings. The dream would be to have a full orchestral ensemble akin to Elbow, but we’ll wait for the majors to come knocking first.

Tell us a little about your new single.


'Stare Down The Walls' is a song about stagnation, a menacing wall of noise with a really big anthemic chorus. It's supposed to represent those claustrophobic feelings of society trapping us in the system we all face on a daily basis. I wrote it at the time where I was in a reversal room with black walls for too many hours, too many days a week, and was feeling uninspired every day by the process - it was a song born out of pure frustration, really.

Can we catch up with you at any forthcoming live shows?

We play our next hometown headline show in Manchester at the Star n’ Garter on 29th Feb. We also play YANA Festival in Manchester's on 28th Mar.

How's the first year of the new decade looking, plans-wise?

Two new singles ready and waiting - two videos to release - and recording again. We’ve got over an album ready to take in so we’re just building our fanbase and looking at bringing in a great team to take us to the top. We’re planning on being out there as much as possible this year, and hopefully see you in those glorious festival fields too!

Where can we hear more of your music?

For the best possible experience come see us live - we try to make every show a real experience for our listeners and fans. We’re also on Spotify, YouTube, and Soundcloud.

What social media platforms can we find you on? 

Instagram // Twitter // Facebook