Album Review: Horse Thief - Trials & Truths

Oklahoma five-piece Horse Thief have let their grooves settle in somewhat since Fear In Bliss.

The 2014 debut pipped the gents as a rollicking folk-rock outfit in a similar vein to Midlake or Blitzen Trapper, with riffs even sunnier than Grizzly Bear's. But Trials & Truths, while still beholden to some corking melodical beauty throughout, has taken more of an intimate turn and it's not always for the better. Another Youth's clangy, upbeat guitars and Drowsy and Empire's more steady, understated vocal charms are solid openers, but the punch is lacking in the back end to maintain the same interest.