Horse Jumper Of Love

Horse Jumper of Love’s self-titled debut began as an intensely personal, low-key project: written in a basement by guitarist/vocalist Dimitri Giannopoulos, recorded in 2016 and quietly released on Bandcamp and tape by Disposable America. A vinyl and streaming release through Run For Cover Records followed in 2017, turning the scrappy, aching slowcore album into an unexpected cult classic. A decade later, it is widely regarded as an essential record of the 2010s, helping bring slowcore and shoegaze back into the indie rock zeitgeist.

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Horse Jumper of Love and Run For Cover have expanded and remastered the album, adding handwritten guitar tabs, archival photos and a second disc featuring thirteen unreleased b-sides, demos and alternate versions. The bonus material offers a glimpse into the record’s intimate origins, from the bare 4-track confession “Ugly Brunette” to early versions of songs that would later become staples of the band’s sound.

At the time, Giannopoulos, bassist John Margaris and drummer James Doran were teenagers playing Boston house shows. Giannopoulos wrote the songs between ages 19 and 21, during a period of moving out, dropping out of college, falling in love and heartbreak. He never expected many people to hear them. Yet the album’s raw honesty resonated on Bandcamp, leading to attention from Stereogum, Pitchfork and NPR and launching the band’s career.

Horse Jumper of Love soon progressed from Boston basements to international tours and major festivals, while their debut influenced a new generation of slowcore and shoegaze artists. Today, its elegiac songs and hand-drawn artwork are instantly recognizable. Together, the original album and bonus material form a vivid portrait of adolescence, alienation and the difficult transition into adulthood.