Metalhorse is the third studio release by Billy Nomates, on Invada Records this 16th May, and the PR copy calls it; ‘a fuller album’. It is. Like indulgent, satisfying mac ‘n’ cheese, full. You should listen to Metalhorse LOUDLY. This is a fist pumping, leg kicking, theatrical wallop of a record. Victoria Ann Maries, aka Billy Nomates, recorded the album in Seville, three months after the passing of her dad, followed by her own recent diagnosis of MS. The result becomes a balancing of extremes – loss, staying true to yourself, global chaos, and what could easily have become a dark listen is actually an uplifting, exciting, joyous parade.
I’ve always loved the mix of beats and spoken word style vocals from Billy Nomates, you feel her passion and meaning in the words – she sings with punches. This power remains throughout Metalhorse; a concept album revolving around the image of a dilapidated funfair, representing the tumultuousness of life – risk and pleasure, danger and exhilaration. The album’s track of the same name is our introduction, our ringmaster, and our lead. It opens perfectly, already sounding and feeling like a theatre production with its bold piano. It gave me Tori Amos ‘Cornflake Girl’ nods, which of course, I loved. There are ladles of synth pop and electro pop throughout this record and I’m here for it; ‘The Test’ has all the uplifting 80’s pop ballad moments that Bruce Hornsby would give his right pianist’s arm for. Whereas later on in the Metalhorse ride, there are echoes of country and folk in songs such as ‘Override’, whilst others sound cinematic like ‘Comedic Timing’ and ‘Life’s Unfair’. I liked the simplicity of ‘Strange Gift’, a muse on grief; “death is a strange gift you didn’t want”. There are many tracks on Metalhorse that work as companion pieces, take ‘Plans’, for instance, with its building puffed-up energy that mirrors The Test.
I think that is the message of the album, and its story arc; leading you around the funfair but with you the whole time. “To me, Metalhorse is this crumbling fairground where some rides are nice to get on and some rides aren’t,” Maries explains. You can feel the highs and lows, you can picture the vivid colours caught in the headlights of the bumper cars. A highlight of recording the album for Maries was working with Hugh Cornwell, of The Stranglers, on ‘Dark Horse Friend’. Her dad was a massive Stranglers fan and bestowed the same love for them upon her. It’s a great pairing vocally, and I thought it had a Talking Heads pop energy. Metalhorse ends with ‘Moon Explodes’, a big, unafraid, shot out of a canon track to close this carnival scene down. This album is experimental and creative, and still has all the elements of Billy Nomates that we know and love. I can see Maries going on to work with more of her peers, and creating even more diverse projects, her fun at the fair is only just beginning.
Billy Nomates will be playing a series of album release week instores in support of Metalhorse as well as live dates in March and April including festival headline shows at Ritual Union in Bristol and Cro Cro Land in Croydon. Instore tour dates are as follows:
18 May: Rough Trade, Nottingham, UK
19 May: Rough Trade East, London, UK
20 May: Resident, Brighton, UK
22 May: Just Dropped In, Coventry, UK
Billy Nomates: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Review by Jo Overfield
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