Year of the Horse is a 2021 self-released concept album by Canadian punk band Fucked Up. It is the ninth installment in the band's long-running Zodiac series and is structured as a single composition divided into four movements. It was recorded between 2016 and 2021. Year of the Horse was released in stages on Bandcamp, beginning with the first act on February 5, 2021, and concluding with the fourth act on May 6, 2021, followed by the official digital release of the full album on May 7, 2021. The album's physical editions were released by Tankcrimes in August 2021.
Year of the Horse is a dramatic concept album written by guitarist Mike Haliechuk, in collaboration with Toronto playwright David James Brock.
The story involves a mythical horse named Perceval on the run from an evil wizard king, King Sour, and attempts to reach her rightful home among the moon and stars. The album is broken into four acts and individual scenes, following Perceval as she flees the town of Abfall and is pursued into surrounding wastelands by a posse led by a merciless sheriff named Bloody Lance.
Year of the Horse is structured as a single, continuous composition divided into four acts, each functioning as a movement within a larger narrative arc. Across its roughly 94-minute runtime, the album incorporates a wide range of musical styles, including hardcore punk, metal, psychedelic rock, experimental pop, folk, ambient music, Western, and classical-influenced elements. Rather than presenting discrete songs, each act is composed of multiple interconnected scenes, with recurring motifs.
The album contains several guest vocalists, including Julien Baker of Boygenius, Matt Berninger of the National, Maegan Brooks Mills of Chubby and the Gang, as well as Tuka Mohammed and Eidolon.
The album is dedicated to Iron Age guitarist Wade Allison and Power Trip singer Riley Gale, who both died in 2020.