I've never been one to get excited over new "buzz" bands. I'm not entirely sure why. I've always preferred to get into music either on my own, or in a generally low-key way, not as suggested by hype. So when I first began hearing about The Horrors, suffice it to say I kept my distance. The name hadn't done much to grab me, nor had their brief if amusing appearance on the Mighty Boosh. After seeing photos, I somewhat arrogantly dismissed the band as a bunch of Robert Smith image revivalists, and left it at that.
It took several years, and about three successive rounds from different friends of "Do you like the Horrors?" (generally followed by "They're actually pretty good") before I finally decided to give them a chance. Being bored one day on the bus home from work with little but a horde of loud high-schoolers for company, the usual aimless ipod scrolling found my thumb pausing over The Horrors. Can't for the life of me recall how or when it got on there, though with a mental shrug and a thought of "Worth a go I suppose", on went the album.
Having expected a fairly tepid trip through a forgettable post-punk trend session, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking what I heard. While obvious influences abounded, the catchiness and charisma of the tracks were far more than I was expecting. These guys knew their style, and they were doing it really fucking well. Devoto-esque vocal drawls and sharply clever lyrics drowned in a wall of Banshees style atmosphere, all thrown together in a melting pot of pure alt-pop. Several times I reached that wonderful moment of doubt where I can't tell if something is a heavily processed synth, or an equally-heavily processed guitar.
I'm always impressed when bands with five or more members manage to get this clear and defined a sound with so much going into the mix. Nothing seems overdone, the louder numbers mix seamlessly with the softer ones. The gentler vibe as "Scarlet Fields" warms up is a surprising respite from the angular jabs and driving rhythms of the albums first half, yet things pick up again in good time, with album closer "Sea Within a Sea" providing some wonderful guitar/bass interplay and concluding with a maddeningly catchy and danceable fade-out finish.
I've been listening to this record just about every day since I first caught onto it, and I expect it will last me a good while longer before I get sick of it. Highly recommend, and I will be looking into their other releases in short order.
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Released: 21 April 2009
Highlights: "Who Can Say", "New Ice Age", "Scarlet Fields", "Primary Colours"
