The British avant-rock band continues its obscure journey through adventurous sounds, free-flowing jams, and a new space for extended jazzy expressions.
Release date: July 31, 2026 | Cuneiform Records | Bandcamp | Facebook
It is commonly known that genius is a very close relative to insanity, but on the other hand, I feel the idea that genius can be comical is underappreciated. Some of the most highly esteemed musical works – from the legacy of Zappa-esque rock to the masterpieces of free jazz, progressive rock, and noise rock – are simultaneously profoundly deep and a bit funny. Greatness can indeed be humorous and there’s no doubt that a band named Honey Ride Me A Goat must possess a good sense of humor. Nevertheless, things get really interesting when the actual music is of top quality. As in this case.
HRMAG are not new to the game; formed in the early 2000s in the legendary Canterbury area, the band straight away started mixing – what else? – avant-prog with intense math rock, punk, jazz, and noise elements. With a couple of albums and a few EPs/split releases under their belt, it was quite obvious that they felt comfortable being underground and obscure. After a long hiatus, the COVID-19 era gave them the chance to work on their third album Horns & Hooves and finally release it through one of the most historic labels for extremely adventurous rock music, Cuneiform Records. HRMAG are still obscure. But at this stage, we all know that good music doesn’t need numbers. It only needs pure hearts and bright minds.
It’s interesting to see that the spirit of the bands that brought HRMAG together in the first place – they ‘shared a love of Captain Beefheart, Black Sabbath and Soft Machine‘ – is very present from the opening track “Meatpacker”. A dissonant riff that sounds like something Steve Albini might have produced gives way to noisy, free-improvised jams and to a Black Sabbath type of part, somehow revealing all their influences at once. There is one important difference from all previous HRMAG releases, however: this time, next to Jonny Shoults (drums), Mike Pike (bass) and Ryan Simpson (guitars), we can enjoy the wonderful Patrick Shiroishi (The Armed and numerous other projects) and his saxophone, practically opening a new path for the band, one full of jazz possibilities.
Throughout Horns & Hooves, the quartet moves from tight forms to completely free structures, often within the same composition. Tracks like “Gooseflaps” and “Collyleg” are built around this interplay between typical prog riffing and wild, noisy improvisations that can only be described as free jazz. Sometimes on the verge of noise (“Flambé Gump”) and at other times in almost amorphous creations (“Bedlams Bottom”), HRMAG demonstrate their ability to sound raw, dissonant, and destructive.
Nevertheless, these are not their only virtues: Horns & Hooves reveals their capability to sound, by analogy, just a bit more accessible. For example, “Spacedocker” shines through its math-rock character and the surprisingly melodic “Plappy” brings the piano into the mix, creating a wonderfully bluesy tune. Whatever they do, though, HRMAG doesn’t sound too heavy or too dark. Tracks like “Preposterous Proboscis/Tephra” showcase their Beefheart/Zappa satirical influences and their desire to remain a fun band rather than an academic one – and as already mentioned, greatness can be humorous.
Assisted by a tasteful, punchy, and organic production, Horn & Hooves is an album that achieves an excellent balance between all its separate ingredients. More importantly, it never sounds like an exercise in style; it rather flows naturally, fully armed with its dynamics, confident in every member’s outrageous performance, creative in every unexpected twist and turn. And despite the fact that it’s a big challenge for any instrumental rock album to retain your full attention, this one keeps you engaged throughout. This is its power, this is its energy.
Is it much of an elitist thing to state that greatness sometimes lies in obscurity? Maybe it is. I can’t help but feel, though, that avant-prog bands like HRMAG manage to sound fresh, almost timeless, while a huge part of the more commercial progressive rock feels like it’s trapped within its own 55-year-old formulas. So be it: an album like Horns & Hooves feels like a free, untamed beast and, however ‘small’, it still has the right to be remarkable. Because it is wild, adventurous, unapologetic, and yes, entertaining and fun in its own weird way. Maybe even genius.
