Pop Culture Madness Interview

Rolling Stone hailed An Horse's Rearrange Beds as a "killer breakup album," praising its "fuzzed-out riffs, hummable hooks and snarling beats"for "(recalling) the best of Nineties alt-rock."

"Their neurotic songs wallop like a small-scale Nirvana," declared Marie Claire, while Spin commended the "clever and efficient"duo for "(churning) up a poignant fervor."

Q: What was the songwriting process like for you on this album?

Kate: "The songs on this record were written throughout a loose 12 month period. I was recorded little demos here and there. Damon and I eventually started playing together and I gave him a CD of everything I had written. He'd pick songs he liked and we'd go back and write together and insert his parts. Inserting harmonies and such. That's pretty much how it went."

Q: Where do you see the future of music heading and where do you see An Horse in that picture?

Kate: "That's a good question. I mean, it's a really awful industry. I don't understand it. The bottom line is people will always be making music and as a musician, that's what I need to worry about. I will make it for as long as I feel like I can make it. If people are listening, great! If not, that's just how it will be when I was making music a few years ago and no one really knew about me. In the grand scheme of things, Damon and I, we're making music to keep each other happy."

Q: Tell us about your tour, we hear you have some dates at SXSW in Austin, Texas coming up, too, right?

Kate: "We've already had about 4-5 shows and it's been great. We're on the other side of the world, for us! We can't believe people are coming out to see us in places that are so cold! We're looking forward to SXSW and wearing our shorts in warm weather like Australia!"

Q: Who would you list as some of your main musical influences?

Kate: "My earliest memories are from people like Michael Jackson, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I mean, that's where it all began for me. Now, I listen to just everything! Lyrically, I get influence from books I'm reading, too. It's a tricky question!"

Q: Who would you want to share the stage with one day?

Kate: "We've been really blessed, we've shared the stage with our favorite bands already, like Tegan and Sara and Death Cab For Cutie."

Q: I'm forced to ask the typical interview question, don't get mad, but what is the story behind your band's name, An Horse?

Kate: "It was a conversation I was having with a friend, actually my sister's boyfriend, who at the time, was living next door to me. We were having in-depth conversations about grammar and we were discussing the use of "an" before H's - hard and soft H's. For example, he was trying to tell me "An Horse" was correct. It's debatable whether it's right or not. I just like the name it sounded and it just sort of stuck and grew.

Q: How would you say the music scene in Australia differs from the scene in The States?

Kate: "Well in America, it's much bigger and there's a lot more opportunity. In Australia, it's smaller and monopolized by a few companies. If you're not on one of the major labels, you aren't noticed and aren't as commercial, you know? You can only do so much touring in Australia. We did most of it in about 4-5 days. It's great for us here because we can tour all over the place and work really hard."

Q: What does success mean to you?

Kate: "Being happy, that's the main thing. We feel successful and so grateful that we're in a position that we can tour in America. I feel we're successful that we can play music together and enjoy it. Hopefully we can keep doing just that."