Their neigh has come

For most of the year, the garden of the Morrison Hotel in central Dublin would make for a disastrous interview location. Today, however, I find Band Of Horses sitting in the rare heat of June, sun-drenched and jetlagged. With the facial hair and tattoos of hardened bikers, guitarist Tyler Ramsey and drummer Creighton Barrett also happen to be two of the most amiable gents you could meet. Promoting new album Infinite Arms, they have every reason to be happy. Theirs is a newly democratic unit – finally stable after years of line-up changes.

Barrett (in pink sunglasses) speaks about what is different this time around.
"We were all contributing songwriting ideas. If we need to write a song for Sesame Street, we can do that. If we need to write a rock record, we can do that. We had about 30 ideas, some more complete than others."
For first-timer Ramsey, a man with a messianic (or stoner) air of calm, the goal was to "stay true to what this band actually is". He says: "I think that was the original mission".
The album contains lots of new influences too: "We set up a record player in the control room. We had a stack of records and so we did reference a lot of stuff. Definitely, when we didn't know where to take it we'd just throw on, like, a Faces LP. We tried to harness some classic sounds."
Infinite Arms sees Band Of Horses embracing a mellower groove. Some fans have expressed dissatisfaction with this. The band don't seem especially bothered.
"My favourite thing is just how angry people get!" chuckles Barrett. "Are you actually physically angry?! Do you want to commit murder because it's not like the first two records?! That's just hilarious."
Notwithstanding the grumbling from purists, Infinite Arms is proving to be the Americans' most commercially successful record to date. Largely self-produced and self-financed, they must be chuffed it's gone down so well.
"We're very proud of its success. But we were proud before," Ramsey notes.
Is the manner in which they built up their fan base, record by record, a good model for other bands?
"That's the way to do it really." he continues. "When you just blow up right away... it's probably difficult to sustain that momentum."
As a live proposition, Band Of Horses have plenty going for them. Indeed, it's through heavy touring that they've achieved their present level of popularity. A recent highlight was an opportunity to open for Pearl Jam. So, with the group content with their place in the world and each other (they say this is the definitive line-up), what does the future hold?
"We're going to recruit some new members," Barrett laughs. A couple of string sections? "Absolutely, go ELO all the way! Nah – for the first time ever, I'm looking forward to getting back in the studio. The freedom of knowing what we're capable of doing has really opened my mind up. I'm looking forward to experiencing that all over again."