Cor de Lux - Year of the Horse

Cor de Lux offer one final preview of their forthcoming Ipecac Recordings debut (Year Of The Horse, Sept. 18), with the release of “Blind Smile”, a joyous four-plus-minute track that nods to ‘90s alt-rock with driving guitars, vocals that shift from a near-whisper to a full-throated declaration, and a bouncing rhythm.

“My cousin is deaf and his true laugh that isn’t altered from what he thinks he should laugh like is one of the most joyous sounds,” vocalist/guitar player Dawn Moraga shares. “I think this song is about, for me, personally trying to find that freedom not to care about what people think of me and to dig deep to find the real. It came together with John and I talking about the beauty of a true smile… the blind smile.”

Bass player John Bliven adds: “The title for ‘Blind Smile’ came about because I wanted to illustrate an event that inspired and humbled me. I was a videographer during a visually impaired persons (VIP) fishing tournament, an event that brings hundreds of VIPs to the Outer Banks every year. I was able to witness the most joy filled smile I’ve ever encountered as they felt the scales of the fish and comments about the texture and sliminess as they saw with their other senses.”

“Blind Smile” is the third preview from the band’s Ipecac debut, Year Of The Horse, with the North Carolinians previously releasing “The Deli,” which Glide Magazine highlighted, adding that the band is “one of the more refreshing voices to emerge in rock in recent memory,” and “The Cringe,” which arrived in tandem with a video featuring a reality TV cooking show gone wrong.

Year Of The Horse is available for pre-order now on multiple limited vinyl variants (including a hyper-limited Bandcamp exclusive swirl vinyl and Ipecac/Cor de Lux orange effect vinyl), standard black vinyl, cassette, CD, and digitally: https://cordelux.lnk.to/horse.

Cor de Lux emerged from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, far removed from the scenes and infrastructure that typically nurture experimental rock bands. Rather than relocate, vocalist/guitarists Dawn Moraga and Tim Lusk, bassist John Bliven, and drummer Jacob Richardson built their own local scene. Through a pair of self-released records (Cor de Lux in 2020, and Media in 2023), relentless rehearsals, and a growing reputation for blistering live shows, the band developed their own sound, folding shoegaze, post-hardcore and art rock into something distinctly their own. The Chicago Reader praised Cor de Lux’s “propulsive energy,” while Post-Trash noted the band’s ability to weave “meditative ambience and rushing percussion” into a singular experience.

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