Dead Horses

Dead Horses are a Milwaukee folk duo built around singer-songwriter and guitarist Sarah Vos and upright bassist Daniel Wolff. Their music blends traditional roots, indie folk and Americana, but the real draw is the intimacy between Vos’ emotionally direct writing and Wolff’s unusually melodic bass playing. The result can feel spare and fragile one moment, then rhythmically restless and expansive the next.

The duo gained wider attention with the 2018 album My Mother the Moon, a deeply personal record shaped by Vos’ rural Wisconsin upbringing, family trauma and complicated relationship with religion. Songs such as “Turntable” helped bring the band to a national audience, while touring with artists including Mandolin Orange and Trampled by Turtles established Dead Horses as a compelling live act.

Their 2022 album Brady Street widened the sound without losing its emotional center, bringing more texture and movement to songs about city life, identity, compassion and finding hope during difficult stretches. Dead Horses may work with a minimal lineup, but their music carries the depth and tension of a much larger band.