The Horrors, an English quintet, notable for wearing circulation-inhibiting black jeans and too much makeup; a band whose member’s names range from Spider Webb to Coffin Joe.
Strange House, The Horror’s debut album that was once labeled Zombie Garage Punk; an album that appealed to a very small demographic group of estranged Goth kids; an album that featured lead singer Faris Badwan screaming incoherently in a manner that was only marginally decipherable to the untrained ear.
Yes the gothic, vampire shtick was entertaining, but nobody expected them to go anywhere.
And now, 2 years later, The Horrors have released their sophomore album, Primary Colours. A band that was once known for spitting on their audience during shows, are now being dubbed the saviours of Rock n’ Roll.
The sound of Primary Colours is so different to The Horror’s first attempt at music that many fans are asking the simple question, “What the hell happened?” Did the band really experience such drastic changes in their lives that they decided to change their sound completely? Or did The Horror’s have it in them the whole time, and have just been eluding the public with their morbid image. Or is this simply proof that The Horror’s are a lot more talented and multi-faceted then we were led to believe. Whatever metamorphism the band experienced it certainly has helped them reach out to a much wider audience and will inevitably result in an increase of record sales and commercial success.
Primary Colours has an amalgamation of different shoegaze and post-punk influences. My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain and even The Cure are just a few of the bands that The Horrors pay homage to.
From ethereal atmospheric melodies, to front man Faris Badwan’s indolent yet passionate tone, Primary Colours explores new musical territory, whilst keeping The Horror’s signature deathly undertone alive.
Lukas Clark-Memler
