The Horrors 'Primary Colours'

Back in 2007, British goth-garage band The Horrors released their first album Strange House. It was great at the time, I was in fact pretty obsessed with them for a while, but I have to admit the album didn't really quench my thirst entirely. The first single 'Sheena is a Parasite' (whose video is directed by nonother than Chris-Fucking-Cunningham) is properly brilliant, opening with what you might think is a hellicopter and just exploding from there. And the rest of the album isn't bad by any means whatsoever.

Their sophmore album Primary Colours is out May 4th, and showcases a new, more refined sound. There's still plenty of flashy drums, vibrating guitar riffs, janky organs, and aching vocals, but there's also the presence of a kind of ambient force. The Horrors wouldn't be the only band this year to start relying more on synths (coughYeahYeahYeahscough), but I have to say it really really works for them. It is very aparent through the first track ('Mirror's Image', which starts out rather dreamlike) to 'Sea Within a Sea', the first single and Seventeen Seconds-esque album finisher.

In short, the garage raucous has been toned down but the instinct to dance like an 80's goth rocker has been doubled. If you're me that's a good thing, but take it as you will.

Listen to Primary Colours in it's entirety at: http://www.nme.com/news/the-horrors/44240