The four members of the Horse- Herrerra, Josh Friedman, Matt Clark and Ryan Kelly- all come from diverse music backgrounds, ranging from math rock to straight-up punk to sludgey metal to electronic dance. The band taps into aspects of these backgrounds to form their music, somehow avoiding a total sonic trainwreck. With the double-pronged vocal attack of Herrerra and Friedman followed by the crushing, kinetic beatings of Kelly and Clark, Sleeper Horse sounds like the Murder City Devils or Hot Water Music if they were Faint cover bands.

Sleeper Horse combines the broken bottle rock we all know and love with the pop and disco sensibilities that are our guilty pleasures. If we can sing gruff songs about whiskey and heartbreak while making you dance uncontrollably, well then, we’ve done our job here.

“Sleeper Horse has all the exuberance of the Pact, with a tighter, more dynamic sound. And Herrera’s vocals, which have always had character, are even stronger here.”
- Tom Murphy, Westword

“Propulsive rhythms, sharply geometric guitar lines and a dynamic, volatile lead man made a near-instant convert of me. These boys have captured lightning in a bottle with a sound that reminds me just a bit of the best moments of Q and Not U while retaining a devastatingly unique character of its own.”
- Cory Casciato, Backbeat Online

“Quickly becoming one of the hardest working outfits in town, the punky, poppy hardcore quartet played with a fearsome energy that belied the fact that this was their second show in three days. While co-frontmen Herrera and Josh Friedman were the obvious focal point, the rhythm section of Matt Clark and Ryan Kelly is the group’s real secret weapon. Kelly – who inexplicably brandished a plastic sword – thundered away intensely behind his kit while Clark bounced exuberantly, playing ringing chords and pummeling basslines with nearly automatic proficiency. Meanwhile, Herrera and Friedman traded crunching guitar parts and yowling, polyp-inducing vocals…In its too-brief set, this brash foursome tread over a lot of rather well-worn ground, but did so with such obvious passion, commitment and enjoyment that the show was a joy to experience and whetted my appetite for more.”
- Eryc Eyl, Westword

“It’s exciting to find your new favorite band. But it’s doubly exciting to find your new favorite local band. I saw Sleeper Horse twice last week, at the Larimer Lounge and the Hi-Dive, and the group has immense potential. The music reminds me of ’80s punk in a really beautiful way. Keep an eye on these boys.”
- Ric Baca, Denver Post