Gift Horse creates dark, cynical atmosphere

Courtesy Gift Horse

Gift Horse, who write about growing older and mortality, perform at Farm 255 Saturday.

Dark yet melodic, hazy yet immediate, Gift Horse possesses a sound and perspective immersed in sadness and fleeting existence.

“Our songs are about inevitable mortality – realizing that everyone around you is growing older and [since] you’re the same, you will, too,” said singer and keyboardist Hunter Morris. “They’re about making the most of what you have. They’re serious and cynical and morbid. ”

Singer/guitarist Mike Stokes, who writes poetry apart from the band, seconds this notion.

“It depends on what kind of mood you’re in,” he said. “[Our music is about] taking stock in where you’re at in life. It’s about growing older and a loss of innocence.”

A few of its influences include shoegazing band My Bloody Valentine, grunge band Nirvana and British ’70s rock group Electric Light Orchestra.

By next year, Gift Horse hopes to be touring three weeks out of every month. Aside from promoting it on the radio, the band has been hard at work on its debut album, slated for a January 2010 release.

“I love playing live. I’d be miserable if I couldn’t be involved in music in some way,” bassist Vaughan Lamb said. “On a really good night, you don’t even have to think about it. [It's like] you’re in a trance. It feels like you just ran a marathon, but it’s not exhausting.”