The collaboration between Horse Head and fish narc can be traced back to the early days of GothBoiClique — a community that came together through Tumblr and represents the beginnings of emo rap. As the years passed, however, both artists continued to push forward and reach for different shapes and textures. With each boasting new projects — Horse Head’s PSYCHIC DRIVING pulls from indie, folk, and shoegaze, whereas fish narc’s fruiting body nods to indie bands of the late 2000s and early 2010s — it’s only fitting that they tour together. Along for the ride is Zubin, a longtime friend and collaborator who’s also fresh off his mud EP, and Emma Hendry, one-half of Plushie Love.
Read more: Fan poll: 5 best 2010s albums of all time
As they wrap their joint run at the end of the month, they opened up about some of the songs they’ve been listening to on the road.
Darcy Baylis – “Krisendienst”
Obsessed with the lyrics and production on this one. Darcy Baylis forever. Beautiful inspirational emotional vibes. I love it. —Zubin
Despize – “Nightmare”
Badass new Scottish hardcore to keep me awake on long drives. So fire. —Zubin
Eric’s Trip – “Anytime You Want”
Catchy, melodic ’90s indie punk. I’ve been listening to this whole album [Love Tara] a lot. —Horse Head
J Dilla – “Believe In God”
Super chilled-out instrumental by one of my favorite producers of all time. RIP. —Horse Head
Former Ghosts – “Bare Bones”
Really sad dark synth-pop project from the 2010s scene based around The Smell in LA. The lyrics are crushing. —Horse Head
Horse Head – “CATCHING FEELINGS”
This may seem like shameless plugging of my friend and tourmate, but I really can’t stop listening to Horse’s newest album, PSYCHIC DRIVING. “CATCHING FEELINGS” is such a beautiful song, fitting neatly in the long progression of melancholic bops that make up his discography. Horse used some classic GBC [GothBoiClique] flows and lyrical tropes, but the beat feels 2025. It’s cheeky without being cheeky. I don’t know what that means, but you should listen, and I think you’ll agree. Unmissable banger. —fish narc
Kate Bush – “Pull Out The Pin”
The first time I heard KB was a spring night in my senior year of high school. Several close friends were hanging in a parents’ basement, and the girls were taking shots of vodka from their diva cups. I was straight edge and feeling bored, and was leafing through records one room over when “Breathing” came on. I remember the chills I felt and falling into a trance, totally captivated by the song. I’m not sure why, but I decided that I was gonna break edge, later that month, and somehow felt more capable of making choices for myself. I don’t know why it was so tied to KB, but it was, and I’ve been a pretty obsessive fan ever since. My current favorite record is The Dreaming, and “Pull Out The Pin” is doing something for me right now. “Suspended in Gaffa” is also a competitor for this list. —fish narc
Lync – “Pennies to Save”
Lync is an underappreciated band from the Olympia, Washington underground scene(s) of the ’90s. I grew up worshipping this record. It hits like emo, but I’m not sure it could be called that. Their only album [These Are Not Fall Colors] just got reissued and added to streaming services. “Pennies to Save” captures the complex emotion of the group, neither sad nor content, filled with fire. —fish narc
Book of Love – “Boy”
Tara, my friend/ bandmate of my other band Phantasia, put me on to this band. I love how synthy it is, and the overall vibe. —Emma Hendry
Daisies – “Is It Any Wonder?”
Daisies is a current band based in LA/Olympia. Perfect kind-of-sad ’90s pop song with amazing tiny vocals. —Emma Hendry
Jack Lee – “Middle of the Night”
Jack Lee was in the Nerves. My sister Sophie showed me the song, and it was an instant fave. It’s about a journey across America, which I suppose I’m also doing. —Emma Hendry
