Horse Lords new album: bold call to ascend sparks controversy

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Experimental rock ensemble Horse Lords have announced a new record, Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!, set for release on June 12 via RVNG Intl., and released two singles today that preview the group’s shift in sound. The record marks a notable change for the band — it is their first to include vocal performances and a broadened instrumental lineup.

New songs and visuals arrive

The band has released two tracks from the upcoming album, titled “Eureka 378-B” and “Brain of the Firm”, each accompanied by a new video directed by visual artist Scott Kiernan. The videos and singles were issued simultaneously, offering an early look at the record’s aesthetic and direction.

Recorded in both Berlin and Baltimore, the album follows 2022’s Comradely Objects and introduces voices and additional timbres into Horse Lords’ typically instrumental palette. These changes suggest a deliberate expansion of the group’s palette rather than a wholesale genre pivot.

Who’s on the record

The core lineup — Owen Gardner, Max Eilbacher, Sam Haberman and Andrew Bernstein — remains at the center, but the sessions include a number of collaborators who reshape the band’s texture. Joining them are bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone, trombonist Weston Olencki and vocalists Nina Guo and Evelyn Saylor.

Album: Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!

Label: RVNG Intl.

Release date: June 12, 2026

Lead singles: “Eureka 378-B” and “Brain of the Firm” (videos by Scott Kiernan)

Recording locations: Berlin and Baltimore

Notable change: first Horse Lords record to feature vocals

Tracks

Track	Title
01	Eureka 378-B
02	Brain of the Firm
03	Rotation I
04	Playing and Reality
05	Rotation II
06	First Galactic Utopia
07	Rotation III
08	Before the Law
09	After the Last Sky
10	A City Yet to Come
11	Second Galactic Utopia
12	Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!

Tour plans and where to hear them live

To support the release, Horse Lords will play a series of dates across North America this summer and two separate European runs — a short spring stretch in Belgium and Italy, and a longer set of autumn shows in November. The schedule mixes festival appearances with club and theater dates.

May (Europe): Gent, Brussels, Bologna, Turin

June–August (North America & Europe): Kongsberg (NO), Winnipeg (CA), Minneapolis, Madison, Buffalo, Los Angeles, plus summer festivals

November (Europe): concerts across Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, UK, Poland

Selected dates:

05-22 — Gent, Belgium (Viernulvier)

05-23 — Brussels, Belgium (Nuits Botaniques)

05-30 — Bologna, Italy (Angelica Festival)

07-11 — Minneapolis, MN (The Cedar)

07-25 — Los Angeles, CA (The Getty Center)

11-11 — London, UK (ICA)

Why this matters

Horse Lords’ move to incorporate vocals and additional horns and woodwinds signals a subtle but meaningful evolution: long-time listeners can expect more explicit melodic and lyrical cues atop the band’s signature rhythmic experimentation. For critics and new listeners, the album will be a test of whether the group’s exploratory impulses translate into broader expressive range without losing their experimental core.

Industry observers will also be watching how the record is received on release day and whether the new songs change the band’s festival billing and media coverage. The simultaneous release of two singles with striking visuals is a clear attempt to frame the record’s aesthetic from the outset.

Horse Lords previously earned attention with songs like “May Brigade,” and this new collection could reshape their profile in both underground and mainstream festival circuits.