UK indie-pop outfit Wild Horse are in no mood to slow down. Following the upbeat energy of “READ MY MIND (VIBES SONG),” the East Sussex four-piece returned with “OVERTHINKING” on June 25th—a feel-good, emotionally resonant single that blends effortless pop hooks with heartfelt storytelling. Produced by Gary Stevenson and written by frontman Jack Baldwin, the track captures the excitement, uncertainty, and spark of a fresh romantic connection. As part of a waterfall release strategy, they followed it up with “Don’t Wait” on September 3rd, a more reflective offering that marks the band’s first collaboration with an outside songwriter.
The band, now a dynamic four-piece with the addition of Jade Snowdon on keys and violin, continues to defy genre labels with their fusion of funk-pop, indie rock, and British swagger. In an exclusive Exposed Vocals interview, Wild Horse opened up about their creative process, working with Stevenson, challenges facing indie bands, and what fans can expect in 2026. Read the full interview below.
Exclusive Interview with Wild Horse
Exposed Vocals: “OVERTHINKING” feels deeply personal—what inspired this track, and how did it come to life?
Wild Horse: I usually write about real life experiences, and “overthinking” is an example of that. It’s one of those songs, I think, where you don’t have to search for a hidden meaning. It’s pretty upfront about its subject. It’s about falling for somebody, which felt cool to the band when we were making it as obviously that’s a universal experience. It’s really just a feel-good track. We thought it would be nice to put out a more light-hearted track, especially at a time where the world can be a very depressing place. We had lots of fun recording it in the studio as well, and I think that comes across in the final track.
Exposed Vocals: Wild Horse has been called genre-defying—how would you describe your sound in your own words?
Wild Horse: I would probably agree with the “genre-defying” quote that gets thrown about. It seems to me that genre doesn’t matter anymore. It’s not something that people who listen to music are conscious about, so why should the people who make music be bothered about it. Decades ago, you would have dedicated “rock” fans or bands, and “pop” fans or artists. But nowadays, I think it’s quite nice that everyone can just be a music fan. It’s one of the only benefits of streaming. The way I see it (and I think most modern artists agree) why would you limit yourself to the confines of one genre when you could have a more open-minded approach to get the best out of your songs.
Exposed Vocals: How has working with Gary Stevenson continued to shape your music?
Wild Horse: It was an amazing experience working with Gary. He’s now a good friend. He’s a lovey guy and he knows so much about music. He was just as passionately about the songs as we were, which is exactly what you want from a producer. We spent months chatting back and forth on the phone and building the songs all before the first studio session. He taught us the value of taking our time. If something wasn’t right, he wouldn’t rush through it or try to make a quick fix. Originally, there wasn’t the middle bridge on “Overthinking”. We all felt in the studio that it wasn’t coming together. So, he told me to go away and write a bridge because that’s what he thought it needed. I was sceptical about it as I didn’t think it needed one. But I went away and wrote the bridge the next day and played it to him down the phone. Nevertheless, he was right, and it completely changed the song for the better. These days, we always take as much time as we need to perfect our songs. We used to feel a time pressure before working with Gary, but now we know the importance of getting things right no matter how long it takes.
Exposed Vocals: Walk us through your songwriting and recording process—what does collaboration look like for Wild Horse?
Wild Horse: Every song is different. There’s no specific process. Usually, I will write a song either on guitar or piano, or even from a vocal part. I will have most of the song written before I take it to the band. We’ll play it together and if we all like it, we put it on a short list for recording sessions. We then all vote on the short list and the songs that have the most votes get recorded first. That’s not to say other songs that got less votes won’t ever get recorded, they’re just not priority at that moment. We’ve found it to be the fairest and most logical way of doing things. We like to work with as many different producers as we can as each person we work with adds something new. We spend time on our research to find a producer because, depending on what you want a track to sound like sonically, you need different people for different things. Getting things right is very important to us.
Our latest track “Don’t Wait” was my first collaboration with another songwriter outside the band. I had the opportunity to work with acclaimed Norwegian artist Matilda Gressberg & this was a great experience, the band loved it & so it was high on the list to record. This is not my last collaboration with another artist; all will be revealed next year.
Exposed Vocals: Jade joined in 2024—how has her presence influenced your sound and dynamic as a group?
Wild Horse: Jade very quickly became an core band member & has fitted in really well with us all, (she coincidentally, went to the same school as the rest of us).
As a three-piece band we had to be quite innovative with how we played our tracks live & this obviously limited what we could do & a lot of adaption was required. For example, I would play guitar & keyboards on the same track. Not only have are our live performances vastly improved by Jade’s addition but she has also been very involved in all our new releases & recording sessions.
When Jade joined, we were originally looking for a keyboard player & backing vocalist but then she pulled out her violin & this has been a great asset. Imagine “Read My Mind” without the violin! It would be a completely different song. For our live sets now, we have added violin parts to some of our old favourites.
Exposed Vocals: You’re known for electrifying live performances. What’s your prep like, and do you have a favorite show memory?
Wild Horse: Well, I stay in shape all the time. I’m a bit of a health freak so I’m always working out and eating properly. I always do vocal warmups before a show, and I drink a couple of shots of vodka to clear out my throat. In terms of keeping the energy up, I have a good stamina anyway from staying fit but when the audience reacts well you get a burst of adrenaline that easily carries you through.
As a band we always try to have a light meal after soundcheck with limited alcohol & then we are pretty much ready to go.
In terms of memories, we have played so many gigs, sometimes two in the same day, and have many fantastic memories & some not so good ones. Good memories always come from great audiences, bad memories from bad venues & poor sound engineers. One of the worst was at a very well-known venue where the soundman was badly hungover from the night before. Our manager caught him asleep on a bench during our set, dreadful night.
Playing The Blues Kitchen in Manchester, the first time is a memory that has always stuck with the band, great audience & fantastic venue where we were treated incredibly well. Another would be one of our appearances at a band favourite venue, The Forum in Tunbridge Wells, where we were supporting The Lottery Winners just as they were starting to get big. This was a great night in all respects.
Exposed Vocals: What has the support from BBC Introducing and mainstream radio meant for the band’s momentum?
Wild Horse: We are very lucky to have BBC Introducing in the UK. Getting played on your local BBC Intro show certainly helps lift your profile, but it does not guarantee instant success, it’s a useful step on the road. We are very grateful that we have had many of our BBC intro tracks also picked as “Track Of The Day” which then get played on other mainstream programs receiving greater attention & sending a signal to the industry. In fact, all our single releases since 2023 have been “Tracks of the Day”, 14 in a row now.
Exposed Vocals: What are some of the biggest challenges indie bands face today—and how are you navigating them?
Wild Horse: There are so many challenges for Indie bands today, mainly revolving about how to make enough money to even cover costs. With little money coming from streaming, live performance & merchandise are the main areas left to try to recoup costs & this is a minefield.
A lot of venues don’t want to pay you, don’t feed you & don’t even buy you a drink, their attitude is that they are doing you a favour by providing a place for you to play. Invariably these places will also have a second-rate sound man.
There are a lot of decent venues that do not run events themselves but via agencies & that can be worse. Some of these are only interested in what tickets a band will sell themselves & do little or no promotion, these gigs are always a disaster.
After years of experience, we have learned to work with selective venues & agencies that understand how to put on & promote good events. This does now limit the number of gigs we play, but quality over quantity is essential or we could not afford to continue.
Exposed Vocals: How do you stay creatively inspired with such a full schedule of writing, recording, and touring?
Wild Horse: I have many interests outside of music that normally helps put things into perspective & helps add inspiration. When I’m on a good streak I might come up with several good ideas that I will make demos of & come back to regain inspiration when needed.
This year, we had a good pool of unreleased material & worked hard to record it. That allowed me to take a 6 month break to take up an opportunity to travel the world which has already given me a mass of new inspiration. I’m currently in Vietnam. I will be back & ready to go later this year & ready for 2026.
Exposed Vocals: As 2025 winds down, what can fans look forward to from Wild Horse heading into the new year?
Wild Horse: We hope that we can make 2026 the year we start to see music becoming our full-time careers. There’s a lot of new music planned, including another collaboration, & of course we will be back out on the road after our biggest break ever. Lots more to come…
