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Aug 08, 2023 Web Exclusive By Andy Steiner

The first thing that you might hear about feeble little horse is the name of the band—funny, unserious, and a deeply 21st century level of lowercase. The second thing you’ll hear about them is that they strongly rep the DIY indie music community of Pittsburgh. Sure, that’s not special to feeble little horse. Plenty of indie rock artists emerge from their local scenes. But very few manage to take the looseness of being their town’s favorite band and put it onto the recording tape.

That’s where feeble little horse excels. Their second album, Girl with Fish, plays like a band just happy to be on the bill for a gig, without coming across as slack or bored. It’s both scrappy and meticulously made, a tricky balance that feeble little horse executes with confidence.

Girl with Fish is short. Its songs are mini-sing-alongs of sarcasm. They roll through tasteful eyerolls like “Steamroller, you fuck like you’re eating” and “Do I make you cringe online?” The album never feels sour, despite the unsavory and unfulfilling people it describes. It’s still lighthearted. Feeble little horse saunter through vignettes of longing and disappointment with a silliness and no-fucks-given attitude.

The band’s guitarists Sebastian Kinsler and Ryan Walchonski fill each song with gritty, pedal-ed out murk. Lydia Slocum’s vocals are dry and casual. But all this casualness and fuzzy distortion never makes these songs aimless or airy.

Feeble little horse rise above the DIY pack because there’s always something to grab onto in these songs: a blast of shoegaze guitar, a passing melodic line. “She’s five foot one, you’re six foot five,” Slocum sings on a verse in “Freak” like a little ditty. It’s a miniature moment on a miniature album, but it’s smartly placed and instantly memorable. It’s the magic of a band with infectious chemistry: they take their local show to a wide audience, but it never feels like it’s not at home. (www.feeblelittlehorse.com)

Author rating: 7/10