Call it pop, indie, Americana: Desolation Horse loves to make music

Cooper Trail sat in a hot van, waiting to arrive at his next destination. He was far from home in Nevada, sitting on the passenger side looking at the rolling desert passing by him. To pass the time, he got out a pen and notepad and started doodling. He drew a horse that looked more like a hotdog, then looked up from his hotdog-horse amalgamation and stared into the endless desert and dust. Only one word came to his mind: desolation. He quickly scribbled the word onto his drawing. 

Years later, Trail started a solo project, writing music and playing instruments in the studio by himself. His friend, Nevada Sowle, engineered the sounds together to form songs. The only thing he needed for his music project was a name. Remembering his drawing, he went with Desolation Horse. 

Trail returned from touring in Europe after the COVID-19 lockdowns, looking for a fresh start. When he started Desolation Horse, it was only him. The band has now evolved into a four-person indie-rock band based in Moscow. The band has since released three albums, with a fourth one being recorded in December, and gained a notable following in the Pacific Northwest. 

Joe Mursh, 31, the guitarist, would join the band in 2020. He had previously known Trail from another band, agreed to play the guitar at a Halloween show for him and became a full member of Desolation Horse after that. 

Corey Ogelsby, 36, the bassist, was Trail’s across-the-street neighbor in Moscow in 2021. Ogelsby had heard of Trail’s musical talents from around town as being a talented musician, and once he and Trail became friends, he officially became the bassist a few months later. 

Bill Tracy, 34, the drummer, had been friends with Trail in Moscow. He had always been impressed by the way Trail could write songs and play music. Even though Tracy is mainly a guitar player, he agreed to play the drums for Desolation Horse in 2021. 

Though Desolation Horse is technically an indie rock band, its music fits a very distinct, niche genre. All four members have different opinions on what exactly the genre of their music is. 

“It’s guitar-driven pop. It’s kind of like a combination of indie pop, indie rock, alt rock and Americana. One time someone said it was post-Americana, which I really like,” Trail said. 

“It’s like pop music that is very informed by alternative and punk and country music, because we really like pop chord progressions and song structures,” Mursh said. 

“It’s kind of like indie pop with shiny hints of country. Not like honky-tonk country, but there’s slivers of twang,” Tracy said. 

“It’s like a guitar-driven post-pop. But with the last record we recorded, there were hints of disco, dance beats and a soft piano ballad. I guess indie rock would work for most people defining it,” Ogelsby said. 

In an interview with KUOI in 2023, Trail said that the recorded versions of his music differ from the live performances due to the amount of people involved in production. Instead of Trail writing everything, each member can contribute their knowledge of their instrument into the music. 

Desolation Horse has three albums out now and a fourth album that is being recorded in December. Their music can be found on Spotify and YouTube; Instagram is the only social media platform that the band currently uses. 

Each member said that they intend to be a part of Desolation Horse as long as they can. Trail graduates from UI soon and may go to grad school. Although the future of the band isn’t certain in the long run, each member is living in the moment, appreciating every second they get to play together. 

“I can say that I will keep making music for sure. That’s something I will always do. And I can also say that about the other guys in the band,” Trail said, “As long as the four of us are around each other, we will keep doing stuff together, and if we end up living in different places, there’s still ways to make recordings together or even meet up and play shows. So I would hope that we could do that.”