Dead Horses find themselves cracking out the electrics on “Days Grow Longer”, a hopeful Americana cut that rollicks more than fans of the band might be accustomed to. It’s a musically upbeat tune with a deeper underbelly; their Sarah Vos recalls that the song is “…more fun, and it’s lighter too – unless you look very hard.” For its danceable, joyous exterior, the song’s inner workings present a tale of uncertainty. Thankfully, for Dead Horses, these moments were ephemeral, and are now chronicled in a song that finds them renewed and back on the road as a touring consortium.
Vos notes a lyric from the tune: ‘Sometime last year, I lost my voice. I lost touch with who needed me most.’ She states, “The shutdown gave many folks the opportunity to see their lives with a different perspective, myself included. I honestly spent a fair amount of it wondering if I even wanted to tour again. But what I came out with was the desire to try again. I was able to see, again, what I had been missing for a while—what had been watered down by the struggles of the music industry, my own personal suffering, and inner-band conflict. I am so thankful for that second chance.”
“Echoing second chances, the chorus and title ‘Days Grow Longer’ is a reference to the end of winter when you start really feeling the longer days and the extra sunlight, even though it’s still frigid outside and you’re shoveling snow every other day. This song was fun to write as I recalled different things I missed about touring like, ‘I miss L.A., and the Twin Cities, and the open road laid bare in front of me.’”
“And there’s awareness to the counterculture aspects of what we do—‘baptized by dissidence’, ‘I miss back door alleys’, (somehow where you always load in) ‘and jamming at Hippie Jack’s’, (a beautiful festival in Tennessee that changed the course of Dead Horses), ‘but it ain’t as simple as that. It ain’t as simple as that.’ It’s fun singing this song at concerts because I got to go back to what I wanted so much to do, and I got to create a record I’ve always wanted to create and play with two musicians I admire deeply and who play together in a masterful way.”
“Days Grow Longer” is the latest cut from Dead Horses’ new album, Brady Street. The LP releases on 12 August. They are presently on-tour throughout the Midwest and West with their full band.
TOUR DATES
SAT, JUL 16 MANITOWOC, WI – ACOUSTIC FEST
THU, JUL 21 MINTURN, CO – MINTURN CONCERT SERIES
SAT, JUL 23 CAMBRIDGE, WI – MIDWEST FIRE FEST
FRI, AUG 12 MILWAUKEE, WI – TURNER HALL BALLROOM
SAT, AUG 13 CHICAGO, IL – HIDEOUT
SUN, AUG 14 DES MOINES, IA – XBK
THU, AUG 25 ST. LOUIS, MO – OLD ROCK HOUSE
FRI, AUG 26 FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FAYETTEVILLE ROOTS FESTIVAL
SAT, AUG 27 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – PONY BOY OKC
SUN, AUG 28 LAWRENCE, KS – THE BOTTLENECK
TUE, SEP 6 SIOUX CITY, IA – VANGARDE ARTS
WED, SEP 7 SPEARFISH, SD – MATTHEWS OPERA HOUSE
THU, SEP 8 DENVER, CO – GLOBE HALL
FRI, SEP 9 TELLURIDE, CO – MUSIC ON THE GREEN
TUE, SEP 13 NASHVILLE, TN – AMERICANAFEST
FRI, SEP 16 LA CROSSE, WI – MID WEST MUSIC FEST – Dead Horses will headline at the Cavalier Theatre
SAT, SEP 17 EAU CLAIRE, WI – JAMF THEATRE PABLO CENTER
SUN, SEP 18 ST. PAUL, MN – TURF CLUB
FRI, SEP 23 WINONA, MN – BOATS & BLUEGRASS