John Askew & Shelby Merry - Wild Horse

‘Wild Horse’ is John Askew’s latest collaboration with Shelby Merry and the final single to be released ahead of ‘A Room Full Of Pros And Cons’ - his hotly anticipated third longform. Also taking the role of the album’s swansong finale, comparative to anything John’s released before ‘Wild Horse’ is a markedly different animal ...          

Seasoned JA watchers will immediately sense the change in gear, tone and intent: somewhat akin to an out of body experience for the English producer. ‘Wild Horse’s intense, humid atmospheres haze the studio’s windows, as its beats kick with a slower, more brooding resonance. Around them artfully drawn strings, celestially streaming fx and the most casual or breakbeat loops all raise its pressure. Think mid-nineties Massive Attack, with heavier drums and you’re not far from the mark.

Having previously cut her teeth on ‘Steady & Stronger’ and ‘When Darkness Comes’, Nashville’s Shelby Merry is already a thoroughbred Askew collaborator. ‘Wild Horse’ may be a case of ‘saving the best (or at least most intense!) till last’. From the opposing perspective she relates a tale of deception, gaslighting and mindgames, baring her soul to convey real world conversations and experiences. Contrastingly, she shares her story of ‘girl-meets-wrong-boy’, leaving it up to the audience to conclude who’s saying what - and to what end.

John deferred on the remix, passing ‘Wild Horse’s reins to an outfit eminently capable of handling complex lyrics (you could even say they’ve built a career on it!). For something as intimate as ‘Wild Horse’, progressive forms the perfect bedrock, which is exactly what Sue and Suzanne supply. Drum roll, pulsing LFO, reverb-heavy percussion, raincry harmonies and Siskin’s fluid melodies all lend Shelby’s song a curiously optimistic filter.  

Available here: https://blackhole.lnk.to/wildhorse
Siskin’s club orientation: https://blackhole.lnk.to/wildsiskin