Horseback went in some interesting new Americana directions on Halfblood; the On the Eclipse 7" serves as a bridge between it and the group's older, spacier sound. If anything, its two sides could be labeled "new sound" and "old sound." Either way, it's good stuff.

"On the Eclipse" sounds like a Halfblood B-side, as it follows a similar, slinking pattern. The track packs a whole lot of psychedelic Americana organ and shambling drums. Acoustic guitars shimmer throughout, making it a rather pretty song, yet again highlighting the discrepancy between the music and Jenks Miller's demonic vocals. He injects the tunes with power, and puts just enough fuzz on the recording that he almost makes sense in this context. Mostly, though, he sounds like a nightmare ripping through an otherwise pristine setting. The juxtaposition is pretty cool.

Horseback's older material has been described as bearing a Krautrock influence, and that sounds more apt for B-side "Broken Orb." Again opening with twinkling keys, this time around Horseback has a more pronounced electronic texture. An instrumental tune, "Broken Orb" serves to chill out the listener after the comparatively aggressive "On the Eclipse." In a sense, it serves the same purpose as the Hallucigenia Suite did on Half Blood. Which is to say, this shit is gold.