Horse Movies are a band to pay attention to. The trio recently won our artist of the month poll, with their album Switch Flipper being one worthy of constant plays. They're heading off for a tour in the next couple weeks, so we wanted to exchange a few words with the band in hopes of getting to know a little more about them. Here are our 6 questions with Horse Movies...

Deli PDX: What are the songwriting dynamics in the band? Is it mainly one of you that writes the songs, take turns between the three of you or go into each track together?

Horse Movies: We get together and do that thing that birds do where the mom chews up the food and feeds it to the baby bird. But we do it back and forth with song ideas. 

How did Horse Movies come to be a band? Where does the name come from?

We're firm believers that all movies could use more horse characters. We originally met because we were all very active on a horse meme sub Reddit. We thought it'd be funny to start making music too, and eventually drifted away from our love of horse memes to focus more on the music. 

On your upcoming tour, are there any particular dates/cities the band is more excited to play than others?

Honestly we're just stoked to get out of Portland for a while, meet new friends and see cool bands. Hanging out with Mom Jeans for a week is gunna be a blast. And we get to play with Adult School in Santa Cruz, who are probably the best band ever. 

Who are some acts that have influence Horse Movies sound? 

Robin Williams circa '85, children's books involving lonely insects, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtrack, and Toy Story on ice.

Being a somewhat "newer" band, how do you feel about the politics of Portland's music scene? What place do you all feel Horse Movies holds within the scene?

We've met a lot of great people in the PDX scene. Good hearted kids, ya know? Kids who constantly go to shows no matter who's playing. They're just in it for the music. It's frustrating when people are in it for the drama. We've learned to stay off the internet and use horse blinders on Facebook haha.

If there's one thing each of you could change about the current state of music (locally or globally), what would it be and why?

More all ages venues for sure. Kids need places they can feel welcome and enjoy themselves. Also, when it comes to music, we wish people would use their ears and not so much their eyes.

See Horse Movies off properly by hitting up their tour kickoff show June 19 at Black Water with Lubec, Tallwomen and Prison Dress. 

Many Portlanders end up spending Thanksgiving in town as our friends gallivant off to their home states for unwanted family time. Instead of going into the upcoming holiday feeling sad and lonely, give a little thanks to this special night the Doug Fir is putting together tomorrow.

For their holiday party, skilled mothman King Black Acid will be playing some of our favorite ambient rock scores, while the sheer power that emanates from each member of Skull Diver's instruments will slowly take over you. Lubec rounds out this bill, making it an overall mellow night of Portland legends offering pre-Thanksgiving enjoyment befitting of Doug Fir's mood lit ambiance.

Music's at 9pm and tickets will run from $10-15. It's low-key also a birthday celebration for 1/3 of Skull Diver, Ally Payne, so come with an extra bit of party pep in your step.

In the first of what is sure to be a successful slew, KPSU has teamed up with McMenamins Lola's Room for a series of all-ages shows that begins with a perfectly curated lineup promising strong hints of shoegaze, dream pop and a touch of 90's revival.

We have no doubt in our minds that Lubec will bring yet another good set, since the Portland vets have played and shared consistently great music for the last five years. Cosmic Debt, their September release, continues on in that same vein, but the other bands on the bill add an extra bit of intrigue to the show.

Alien Boy has done a lot with their poppy post punk in the last year and it's something that can't be missed, while Helens take on the genre is a bit heavier and gazed out. Floating Room, the newest endeavor musically bringing together drowse's Kyle Bates and Maya Stoner of Sabonis, could not offer a better representation of both bands' sound fused into one. Their debut Sunless is due out in just a couple weeks and sees the glum echo of comfort found in drowse's production while giving another platform for the signature gossamer tone Stoner's voice provides to Sabonis. 

Doors for this KPSU/Lola's Room show tomorrow open at 7pm, with music starting at 8pm. Tickets are only $5 will any Student ID and just $8. Get excited, there are a couple more KPSU and Lola's Room shows this Fall that are just as promising.

It's been two years since we were gifted Lubec's lauded The Thrall and finally today, we get their second full length with Cosmic Debt.

Thematically exploring karmic debenture in life, Cosmic Debt gifts us the Lubec we've grown to love over the years; dreamgaze personified by reverbed string riffs, eruptive drumming by Matt Dressen and vocals that call for attention.

Four fuzzy instrumental-like interludes break up a pleasant distortion of tracks, led by layers of Eddie Charlton's ripe vocality. Piano playing by Caroline Jackson adds a slightly delicate but necessary element which, coupled with her sometimes rawly spurted vocals (like in the album's title track), round out the sound that separates Lubec from other "gazey" acts in town.

Lubec's release show for Cosmic Debt is tomorrow at Blackwater with supporting performances from Talkative, Dog Thieves, Two Moons and Radler. 

Stream Cosmic Debt below and be sure to stop by Blackwater tomorrow to celebrate.

Lubec know how to pull some emotions out of you with their music, seamlessly blending shoegaze, indie pop and affection. Their forray into the hearts of Portlanders began around five years ago, yet is sure to stay with us for more years to come. They've been recently riding high on the creation of their latest EP, Concentration, due out February 5th via Touchy Feely Records. The release show will be that same night at the Know, along with supporting sets from Versing and Post Moves. Check out the latest single from Concentration, "Late Bloomer," below. You can also preorder the new EP for $5 here.

-Cervante Pope