Billy Nomates - Metalhorse

by Zena Grieg

published: 8 / 7 / 2025

Label: Invada Records
Format: CD

intro

Impressive concept album from Bily Nomates, the nom de plume for Bristol-based post-punk singer-songwriter Victoria Ann Tor Maries, which makes an expressive journey towards catharsis

Bristol-based post-punk singer-songwriter Victoria Ann Tor Maries aka Billy Nomates has brought out her third studio album, the first with a band, including bass player Mandy Clarke (KT Tunstall, The Go! Team, Bombskare) and drummer Liam Chapman (Rozi Plain, BMXBandits). ‘Metalhorse’ started to be made shortly before the death of the musician’s father from Parkinson’s and was completed while she was dealing with her own MS diagnosis. Produced by James Trevascus, this is a concept album, inspired by images of a crumbling fairground. The songs reveal a more diverse sound than her previous work, traversing blues, country, folk and synth pop with splashes of punk. Key themes are loss, insecurity and resisting the meaninglessness of life. Songs to listen out for in this eleven-track collection include: the atmospheric opener and title track, with the singer’s expressive vocals calling for challenge and resilience: “And if you want to jump out (If you want to jump out)/ Out the merry go round (Out the merry go round)/there’s a way to go about it(There’s a way, there’s a way)/Of not tumbling down”; the stark, intensely personal ‘Nothin’ Worth Winnin’: “My best friend’s dying/Nothing to do/Giving up trying/…There’s nothin’ worth winnin’; I want to lose”; rocker and lead single ‘the Test’; the moody, noir ‘Dark Horse Friend’, featuring The Stranglers’ Hugh Cornwell; and the uplifting closer ‘Moon Explodes’ with its defiant lines: “I can finally say I have everything in a certain order/Even God himself couldn’t fuck me over”. Evocative, expansive, ‘Metalhorse’ traverses a landscape of dark emotions towards catharsis.

Track Listing:-

1 Metalhorse
2 Nothin Worth Winnin
3 The Test
4 Override
5 Dark Horse Friend (Feat. Hugh Cornwell)
6 Life's Unfair
7 Plans
8 Gas
9 Comedic Timing
10 Strange Gift
11 Moon Explodes

Band Links:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Nomates
https://billynomates.bandcamp.com/album/billy-nomates
https://www.facebook.com/billynomatestor
ttps://x.com/billynomatestoo
https://www.instagram.com/billy_no_mat_es/