The Rupert Selection - Music for Horses

Album art by Crystal Araiza

Music for Horses wasn't planned to be out now. The latest album was planned for release sometime later in the fall, or early spring 2027. But over the summer, co-founder and creative leader Reilly Somach was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, so the album was released early. The album is a powerhouse of alt-rock meets psych and prog. It's a little all over the place with some tracks being under a minute long, and the second song on the album, "HPPD," being an epic fourteen minutes. Even if it was shorter, the song would be epic. It's a huge sounding, monster track that brings listeners on a journey and somehow leaves them wanting the song to be longer as it cycles through styles and tempo changes. Music for Horses is the kind of album that will make you wish local modern rock radio was still a thing, since it's filled with songs that should be huge hits, at least locally. ("HPPD" might be too long for radio play, but the high energy "Riddance" and the more chill "Devil's Dance" could have dominated the airwaves in the 90's...) The Rupert Selection have released a killer album, and I only wish it was under less intense circumstances. 

Reilly Somach says of his band's new album:

“Music has always been everything to me, but there's definitely a stronger sense of urgency now to stay as creative as possible and try to do as much as I can while I can. There were a lot of tribulations throughout which seems to be a continuing theme with all our albums so it just feels very cathartic to finally put a bow on it and move on, start the next thing. I just don't see any sense in waiting. We do this for ourselves at the end of the day, anyway, and I'm still alive so let's not waste time, right?”

You can listen to Music for Horses below. The album is available for purchase via Bandcamp. For more on The Rupert Selection, check out the band on Instagram. There is a GoFundMe for Reilly Somach's cancer fight here.