The Horrors have always been a band that have intrigued me. Ever since the ramshackle brilliance of debut single 'Sheena Is a Parasite' I have always felt that they were a band doing something quite different from most British bands and also stirring up a bit of controversy along the way, which is always good! Despite their 2007 debut 'Strange House' not creating the kind of reaction that they were aiming for, the band kept touring and writing and are back two years later with a rather remarkable comeback record. 'Primary Colours' still has the retro, reverb soaked, b-movie equse stylings of the first record, but with a more electronic and effects heavy feel they have created a stunning psychelic / shoegaze record. Opening with spaced out synths, first track 'Mirrors Image' bursts into action with a fuzzed up bass line and backwards guitars complete with the cackles of front man Faris Rotter. Although Rotter is known for his bilious tones, he actually spends most of the album singing rather sweetly, and against dreamy guitar effects and soaring synths, tracks like 'Scarlet Fields' and 'Who Can Say', sound like there coming out of another planet; it really is spine tingling stuff. But for the orginal Horrors, tracks such as 'Do You Remember' and 'New Ice Age' carry the surf pop snarl of their debut, but still sounding as fresh and in context with the rest of the album; you really get the feeling that this record was arranaged as a proper album and not set of tracks like their previous effort. The album closes in the best way possible, the 8 minute shoegaze meets electro epic, Sea Within Sea; its dark, beautiful and hypotising all at the same time and its the big electro keys riff that closes the track and the record that gives you sense that you've been on a journey. I think its fair to say that this is a album that will blow any previous doubts of The Horrors to the side and simply set your mind to stun.
Rating: 8.5/10
Download: Who Can Say / Scarlet Fields / Sea Within A Sea
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