Country music’s A Thousand Horses have been a true testament of time- weathering the storm and the battles to make a name for themselves in country music. They’ve been playing as a band for over six years with some members of the band going back to the middle school days. When A Thousand Horses released ‘Smoke’ in 2015, they let go of the reins and finally found their stride… galloping to the top of the Country Airplay chart, making the hit song their first Number One as a group. That single was the first off their debut album, titled ‘Southernality.’ And earlier this year, the band released the third single off the album- the title track.
‘Southernality’ is a term that A Thousand Horses lead man, Michael Hobby, coined. Hobby, who co-wrote the song with Corey Crowder and The Cadillac Three’s Neil Mason, explained to us, “I made up the word, Southernality, which is like Southern-personality. Basically the song just comes down to where we grew up and observing those things in that lifestyle as well as the metaphors towards it. It’s just about being proud of who you are, and where you come from and living that laid back life no matter where it is.” And listening to the song, you get exactly that. You feel that relaxed, laid back vibe with the values and standards that are so often associated with the Southern lifestyle. The tempo and sound of the song will have you jamming along and is a perfect song for the upcoming summer- something that A Thousand Horses considered when selecting their next single. Hobby says, “We’re coming into the summer and we wanted to put out a pretty aggressive tempo-ed song with great energy and great chorus that people want to rock to while their having their barbecues and drinking their beer or doing whatever. Just all around having a good time. We thought it was the perfect one.”
While Hobby is the only Horse with writing credits on ‘Southernality’ the single, every track on ‘Southernality’ the album, had at least one band member with their hand in the songwriting. And outside of the band, the album is full of great external co-writes. Writers like Jaren Johnston, Ross Copperman, and Jon Nite among others- writers that the band has formed both professional and personal relationships with and that have helped in elevating the band’s songwriting as well. Michael explains, “Those guys have always been really good close friends of ours and we’ve been writing with them for a long time. It was really great to get it this far and for them to have songs on the album. We always know what is us when we go into a write or when we’re writing songs together, where it is A Thousand Horses opposed to maybe something else. It’s always been great. It’s great to be able to write music with your friends.”
The band is currently on tour and will be on tour for the majority of this year with country superstar Jason Aldean on his We Were Here tour, which also features Thomas Rhett. So what was it like for A Thousand Horses to be selected by one of country music’s elite? “It’s an honor. It’s incredible. We couldn’t believe that he knew who we were and picked us out to come out on tour. It’s really amazing to be under his wing every night and see what he does and how he’s done it for the last decade. We got our friend Thomas Rhett out there too, whose killing it right now, and to see that, it’s very inspiring every night. Everybody is so great. We always can’t wait to get back out the next weekend and be on that tour,” Michael says. Guitarist, Zach Brown, goes on to say, “It’s basically a dream tour for a new band.”
After a Number One song and being chosen by Jason Aldean to join him on tour, one would think that there would be some level of pressure in choosing the next single to continue the incredible momentum. However that was not the case. For A Thousand Horses, they were just excited to have songs out on the radio. Sure, they always want a Number One song or for any song to be a success. But most of all, they just want to connect with their fans and for their fans to enjoy their entire set when the come see A Thousand Horses play live in concert. And that’s always been the case for the band. When they first began recording the album, it was before they were signed by Big Machine Label Group and the goal was to sell 2,000 copies- just enough to pay for the project. To date, they have sold over 50,000 copies! In addition to their dedication to touring and their incredible music, the band will always have that one common value that makes A Thousand Horse who they are… ‘Southernality.’
You can purchase A Thousand Horses’ new single, ‘Southernality,’ and album, on iTunes here.