Given the way Hayley Williams chose to roll out her debut solo album Petals For Armor — trickling out almost the whole album, one song at a time, over the course of months — you may have tuned out by the time she dropped “Dead Horse.” If so, you messed up. The reggae-inflected rocker is one of the album’s highlights, a connective thread between Paramore’s rhythmically charged After Laughter and this album’s dark, sinewy sound.
Also very good is Hot Chip’s new “Dead Horse” remix out today. The British indie dance-pop kings have turned the track into a hall-of-mirrors house exercise, speeding up the tempo and splicing Williams’ voice into one of many dazzling percussive elements. The tropical vibe remains intact, but with a brisk jolt of energy rather than the original’s languid thump. It remains fascinating to hear how many different ways you can frame the same song — a phenomenon you can behold via the original “Dead Horse,” the Hot Chip remix, and Glass Animals’ darker, more deconstructed remix from a few weeks ago.
Dig into the decidedly not-shitty little song below, where you can find both remixes and the original video — and while you’re at it, check out our recent interview with Williams.
Petals For Armor is out now on Atlantic.
