Photo: Kasia Zacharko

We’ve been counting down the days for the release of Horse Lords‘ new album, Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!, ever since they announced it back in March. With each new release, the quartet of Andrew Bernstein, Max Eilbacher, Owen Gardner and Sam Haberman continue to prove they are one of the most exciting bands out there. Having already shared two insanely brilliant and infectious singles, ‘Eureka 378-B’ and ‘Brain of the Firm’, the band is offering another jaw-dropping single, ‘First Galactic Utopia’. Mesmerizing, exhilarating, and undeniably funky, ‘First Galactic Utopia’ blends mind-bending intricacies with an irresistible groove. The single comes with an accompanying video directed by Alexander Stewart, who had this to say about it:

“I started on a computer by creating looping patterns of dashes and dots using vectors, and drew the frames on paper with a computer-controlled pen plotter, thinking the video would be cool as an animation. Once I saw the patterns animated, I realized that they would be ideal to use with video synthesizers. The textures and colors that the video feedback generated brought the drawn loops into a galactic visual space.”

Be sure to mark your calendars for the June 12th release of Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! through RVNG Intl, it is going to be a truly transcendental listen. For now, dive into ‘First Galactic Utopia’ and its wild visuals below.

Photo: Kasia Zacharko

The best news of 2026 are here: Horse Lords are back with a brand new album. Wonderfully titled Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!, it follows their masterpiece Comradely Objects, which was one of our Album Picks of 2022 and remains an absolute favourite. Formed in 2010 in Baltimore, the quartet of Andrew Bernstein, Max Eilbacher, Owen Gardner and Sam Haberman are one of the most exciting bands out there, with a wildly imaginative and rigorous approach to music.

Releasing on June 12th through RVNG Intl, Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! saw Horse Lords expand their line up to include bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone, trombonist Weston Olencki, and for the first time vocals contributions from guests Nina Guo and Evelyn Saylor.
On the album, the music changes itself as different parts interact with each other over time, creating a self-influencing whole. As Horse Lords say, “we like the idea of art as a tool for changing your perspective, being able to rotate ideas and see/hear/feel them from a different vantage point”. Art always carries political meaning, and Horse Lords approach it with hope and a strong focus on community. As they explain, “we try to make music that challenges the status quo and offers a path toward liberation for the listener. The study and exploration of sound and music has a spiritual and ecstatic dimension, and we have a great reverence for its impact on the individual and the world.”

June is a long while away but lucky for us, Horse Lords have today shared ‘Eureka 378-B’ and ‘Brain of the Firm’, two insanely brilliant and infectious pieces that clearly show a band constantly soaring to new heights. ‘Eureka 378-B’ is an arrangement of 19th century sacred harp music, and on ‘Brain of the Firm’, as the press release describes “polyphonic and wordless voices dance around pulsing bass, slinky guitar phrases, keyboard bloops and fleet kitwork”. Both tracks are offered with an accompanying video by visual artist Scott Kiernan and you can watch it below.