Pale Horse

With the recent breakups of area favorites Dove Hunter and Bridges & Blinking Lights, the local music scene has suddenly become lacking in the psychedelic Southern rock genre. Enter Pale Horse, whose soul-influenced Southern rock, gritty guitars and emotional lyrics look to fill the void of these two former area mainstays. Their first proper offering comes in the form of an EP called Future Dimensions produced by Beau Bedford, who's known mostly for his work with Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights. In other words, he's exactly the guy you want to help your band achieve a psychedelic Southern rock vibe.

There's some real emotion at play here, too: Singer J.R. Denson and guitarist Aaron Carder, both formerly of The Greater Good, began working on the songs that would make their way onto the EP during personally trying times. The deeply personal and quite powerful "Will You Be There" chronicles the feelings of someone returning from war, and is dedicated to the memory of Denson's brother-in-law, who was killed in overseas service. And while the other songs on the EP aren't quite that heavy, they all boast a sincerity that's tough to fake. It's not just about sincerity, though: "You're No Good," with its vocal reverb, sing-along chorus and driving drumbeat, invokes visions of a smoky bar in the Deep South, all while Denson's Caleb Followill-esque wail soars over a sea of guitar and drums.

Pale Horse has trotted out an incredibly soulful and passionate collection of Southern rock on this debut.