Start Listening To: Spanish Horses

Founded in a cheese shop and fighting upwards towards unshakable alt-rock coolness ever since, Spanish Horses is amongst the most exciting new fixtures in the infrastructure of London's Windmill scene.

Breakout rock act Spanish Horses is quickly gaining traction in the Windmill scene for their skillful mutation of sound and genre conventions. With influences spanning a litany of touchpoints, at the core of their philosophy lies a “take the best of the best, trim the rest” aptitude for mixing to create a heady, essential resulting product: an undeniably tightly-packed vernacular of sound that manages to be generally appealing to most, yet grounded by a rare fidelity in their own sense of creative impetus. The resulting tonal baseline can be described as a molten mix of dry, heady shoegaze without the cluster; the thrust of rock n roll without the tangents; and the passion of soul with economical editorial cut and more snarl.

Perhaps the obliqueness of their style can be attributed to each of the five members holding a different soft spot for genres that are quite variant from one another, resulting in a checks-and-balances system that creates an equilibrium of input from equally talented artists rather than a hodgepodge of compromises. Unfortunately, no band dynamic can leave all equally satiated: the air of disappointment from drummer Cyril’s ever-curdling dreams of making it big in New York as a face-tattoo style rap icon was palpable, repeatedly expressed, and shut down by the band with an unmistakable chill. I caught the band in Edinburgh for a brief chat on musical influences, the mechanics of their synergy as a group, and the origin story of the band’s synthesis.

I know, this one is a bit too easy - but tell me a little bit about the story of your band and how you all met?

Cyril (drums): Spanish Horses started a little over two years ago in Paris, after two previous projects fell apart. I was playing drums in both bands, and they shared a practice space just outside Paris, in Côte D’Ivoire. It used to be a walk-in fridge for a cheese shop that got converted into a rehearsal space. When both bands stopped, it made sense for the remnants of those projects to come together, keep the cheese shop, and keep making music. That’s really when Spanish Horses started. We moved to London in April 2025, and Spike joined us at the end of April. He was a later addition, but not one to miss at all.

You mentioned in an interview with Noize magazine that you tend to explore different musical rabbit holes. What new ideas have you been entertaining recently?

Cyril: Boom bap, New York–style rap.

Tom (Vocals and guitar): No, we’re not, Cyril. We’ve really just been slowing things down. Experimenting with space and silence. Whatever we listen to sinks in naturally, and whatever we jam tends to reflect that. We’ve also been experimenting with bar space, different effects, and production. We’re not constantly trying to reinvent our sound, but along the way to finding what we want, we stumble into little pleasures - little nudges that feel exciting. 

We’ll fall into something and push it to the maximum. Sometimes we keep it, sometimes we don’t. It’s just important for us to try things out. It’s like buying trousers or shoes - you try them before you know if you like them.

Albert (Keys): When we used to write songs, we were all focused on making our own parts fantastic. I’d think, ‘I need to put in crazy licks’. But after almost three years of playing together, we’ve learned to understand each other’s space and what actually benefits the song. “It’s all for the song - no egos. You’re not trying to achieve one specific thing; you’re just seeing where it takes you.

You’re not trying to push toward one specific goal; just seeing where the music takes you.

Albert: No, we are just always trying to write the absolutely perfect song every time.

What’s a sonic risk you took that ended up paying off?

Albert: Not playing. Seriously - deciding when not to play is important. For me, especially, because what I do isn’t necessary throughout every song. It can feel a bit jarring doing nothing, but oversaturating music with too much going on makes it lose something. Sometimes I need that reminder.

Cyril: I bought a really expensive snare.

Did it pay off?

Cyril: It paid off. My friend Judy told me, ‘You’re breaking your back working in this bar - just do it.’ I’m very glad I did.

Yeah, right. There’s the ultimate risk of starting a band - the ensuing financial dread.

Spike (Organ and keys): You have no idea. Absolutely. I’m still paying off my keyboard. I’ve only made one payment so far, but I haven’t broken or lost it yet, so life is good!

What are some unexpected or niche influences in your music?

Tom: For me, all of my influences feel pretty obvious. I love Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, and that definitely comes through in how I play guitar. We obviously have a rock and roll sound, but soul music really influences how we write. Sometimes that comes out more clearly, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s the basis of music for us.

Spike: Inspiration also comes from things outside music. Lately, I’ve felt very inspired by life in general, and it makes me feel like I play better as well. It comes from everywhere - not just music.

What track are you individually most proud of, and why? Please state your name and instrument, because I have a horrible memory.

Spike (organ): I’m most proud of ‘Great’. It’s one of the few songs where I really achieved the sound I want to hear when I listen to music.

Albert (guitar): ‘Great’ as well. It’s one of the songs where I play the least amount of stuff on it, but what I play felt the most purposeful.

Tom (vocals, guitar): Sorry, I’m also proud of ‘Great’. It’s my favorite release so far because of how united we sound. It was very collaborative and came in a flash; yeah, I’m just really happy with the lyrics, the simplicity, and the chord progressions. I’m just happy!

Cyril (drums): Yes I’m proud of ‘Great’, but also ‘Sisters’. That was the first song we played in our practice space that really felt like it had a Spanish Horses stamp on it. I’m happy with the drum part and the emotional feel - especially live.

Victor (bass): I’d say ‘Great’ as well. It feels fresh, and I’m happy with my bass part - it’s playful, but still serves the song. I’m also really proud of the production and recording, which we did ourselves in our basement. It feels very special. I think I’ll be even prouder of ‘Rain Dance’, our next release coming February 20th.

Your music isn’t necessarily slotted within a specific genre - but if you couldn’t make music within the permutation of your typical vibe, what do you reckon you’d make?

Victor: I figure I’d make deep ambient noise music. Or noise.

Tom: I was going to say some noise music as well. Noise is fun. Noise, droney stuff; I really like that stuff.

Albert: I’d make some country; country, bluesy stuff.

Okay, so you guys would cease to be a band?

Albert: No! We’d just blend it all together. We’d probably just blend it all together - droney, deep ambient country. I’m sure it’s been done before.

Cyril (ever the contrarian): My heart is torn between becoming a full-fledged rapper with face tattoos and starting a dance-oriented project mixing funk, punk, and disco. Electronic sounds and all.