‘Disaster Trick’ is Horse Jumper of Love’s New Reflection
It’s the Boston-based band’s sixth studio album, and it’s their most honest and direct collection of songs to date
For the fourth consecutive year, Boston indie-rock trio Horse Jumper of Love is releasing a new studio album. For singer-songwriter Dimitri Giannopoulos, each album over the past decade serves as a bookmark for moments in his life. But Disaster Trick, out Friday, Aug. 16 via Run For Cover Records, serves a slightly different purpose.
“[Disaster Trick] is a bit more reflective,” Giannopoulos says. “Instead of the songs being about the present moment, they instead look back on the past few years of playing music, touring, and what [the band and I] had to show for all the hard work.”
Horse Jumper of Love combines the soft, poetic songwriting tendencies of the likes of Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith with slightly heavy guitar projections reminiscent of Duster, Car Seat Headrest and Hum. In fact, Giannopoulos says he listened to Cohen’s album Songs From a Room and Hum’s album Downward is Heavenward in between recording sessions. After a day in the studio, Giannopoulos would unwind with a jigsaw puzzle, Hum buzzing in the background.
There’s a clear contrast between quiet and loud on the album, which Giannopoulos describes as a natural, honest development—showcasing his personality and emotions.
“I’ve always been a moody guy. I have really low lows and high highs,” Giannopoulos admits. “I try to reflect that in the dynamic of the songs, too. Sometimes, you feel quiet, shy and delicate. And other times, you want to be loud and obnoxious and get that feeling out there.”
Horse Jumper of Love understands when a moment calls for quiet or loud. Songs like Word transport me to a completely different world. The chaos around me is immediately drowned out when I put on headphones and play the song. It uses space and time to slow me down, offers a bit of mindful relief.
Lip Reader follows Word on the album and is more immediate and guitar-driven right from the start. The songs complement each other, proving sonic styles don’t have to be the same to work.
That balance and clarity in sound stems from Giannopoulos’ newfound sobriety, which he says made it much easier to write and do “pretty much anything.” With a more productive approach, Giannopoulos had a clear understanding of how to look back on his past and move forward musically and personally.
“I was thrown into true reality suddenly,” he says. “I wasn’t really living in the real world when I was drinking a lot. I think it’s my favorite album because I felt really in control.”
Because Horse Jumper of Love songs are so personal to Giannopoulos, he found himself making his songwriting on past albums vague and poetic, masking his actual feelings. But Disaster Trick is more direct, with a dark, emotional and deeply honest undertone.
“I was feeling valid … like, people will actually hear what I have to say,” Giannopoulos says. “I feel more confident as a songwriter.”
Recorded at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, with producer Alex Farrar, Disaster Trick features collaborations with guitarist Jake (MJ) Lenderman, Karly Hartzman of Wednesday and Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams. The appearances elevate Horse jumper of Love’s songs with soft harmonies and layered guitar work, something that comforts Giannopoulos—hearing artists he respects on his songs.
On tunes like Snow Angel, Horse Jumper of Love play with the dynamics of quiet and loud instrumentation. Guitars led the pack for an almost shoegaze-like progression, met with subtle background vocals from Williams. But it’s the lyricism that demands utmost attention, playing on the theme of David Berman’s poem Snow from his book Actual Air.
My teacher is gone / Now we sing his funeral song / Would you pull me a feather / From your pillow / I want to dream like you
Giannopoulos sees an image in his mind, and then his stream of consciousness runs with it. Through his words, he explores the feeling of being alone or the feeling of that first rip of brisk cold air hitging your face—wanting something.
Disaster Trick navigates what it means to be a human, experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows of emotion—heartbreak, isolation, growth, sobriety.
“I can look back on my catalogue of songs and kind of put myself back exactly to that spot,” Giannopoulos says. “That’s kind of why I started writing songs—to mark time and be able to remember things.”
For Giannopoulos, songwriting and composition seem to come together simultaneously. He’s constantly typing notes, ideas, and thoughts in his Notes app throughout the day. When he gets home, he’s typically strumming his guitar waiting for that perfect chord progression to present itself.
“There are some lyrics that I was never able to fit over any chord progressions,” he says. “And there are also chord progressions and melodies that can never fit to any lyrics.”
Disaster Trick is meant for slow digestion. Take it in, lyric by lyric, while lying on your back, watching the ceiling fan go around. I could have used this album in 2020, when all I did every evening was exactly that—flipping my records and willing the quietness and stillness of time to wash over me. But Disaster Trick also beckons to be heard live, with the vibrations of guitars buzzing out of amps and through your chest. Giannopoulos just hopes listeners walk away feeling inspired to tap into their own minds and create what they want.
Horse Jumper of Love kicked off their North American tour in July and will play shows across the U.S. through October, with a few U.K. gigs in November. Keep up with the band here.
Start with Horse Jumper of Love’s song Ugly Brunette off their 2017 self-titled album. Giannopoulos says it’s a song that everyone who likes the band seems to enjoy. He wrote it when he was 19, so it feels a bit immature to him and doesn’t exactly fit the person he is now. Take a listen to the song Wink from Disaster Trick after.
Pay attention to which differences stick out to you sonically. Ugly Brunette is a bit airier, with less emphasis on production and layers—but it highlights the band at their core. Wink is slower, with similar fuzzy guitar effects, but it sounds fuller, more complete.
Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and X @rockhoundlb, TikTok @rockhoundkp
