“The Test” is the lead single from Billy Nomates’ upcoming album, Metalhorse. Tor Maries of Billy Nomates shares that this track, the first one written for the new album, is about recognizing an ethereal connection, whether it be to the beyond or to something just out of sight; “It’s working at something against the odds and feeling like someone’s helping you from the other side, and if they see you that’s the test. I really feel that when we’re playing it live. Like, with everything that’s going on, I can’t believe this is surviving.” The song dives into themes of fearlessness and love, and the passage of time. Carnival-centric metaphors like “hall of mirrors” and “wall of death” tie into the fairground theme of Metalhorse (a metal horse you ride on a carousel), symbolizing different “tests” faced in life. In the song, you can hear Maries grappling with her emotions and complex feelings, while also acknowledging the brevity of life.
Work on the album was convened shortly after the passing of Maries’ father, naturally infusing many of the songs with themes from this tumultuous period. “To me, ‘Metalhorse’ is this crumbling fairground where some rides are nice to get on and some rides aren’t. That’s how life felt for a minute, and it still feels like that a bit now,” Maries shared. Metalhorse also marks the first album recorded with a full band in the studio, so we can expect to hear a project with fuller sound and perhaps new perspectives brought to the table. The full band includes Mandy Clarke (KT Tunstall, The Go! Team) and drummer Liam Chapman (Rozi Plain, BMX Bandits).
“The Test” is released ahead of Billy Nomates’ third album Metalhorse, out May 16th on Invada Records. Pre-order available here.
Leave a Reply