The Horrors: Primary Colours

The Horrors
Primary Colours
by xiao


The first Horrors record, Strange House, was an interesting, energetic effort to revitalize the punk scene with big hair, black jackets, guyliner, and British flair spread thicker than blackberry jam on a thick slice of momma's homemade bread. It was certainly a lot of fun, especially with highlights like "Sheena is a Parasite", "She is the New Thing", "Gloves" and "Count in Fives". However, it wasn't exactly the most unique album out there, and it seemed like The Horrors were on a fast one-way track to forgettable lane. Despite this, songs like "Excellent Choice", which featured a suicide story voiceover with clanky guitars and drums in the background, hinted at The Horrors' hidden talent for something more.

Thus enters Primary Colours, a textured, unique album that drastically improves the sound of the band from their first album, a feat rarely accomplished in this day and age. Opting for synths and a thick wall of sound, it's clear the band has decided to get in touch with the Joy Division inside all of them. They even cut their hair and dress differently. So much for the claims of "style over substance." On top of that, singer Faris Badwin has decided to actually sing this time around, rather than screaming gleefully as he did in Strange House, and he doesn't sound half bad.

Highlights include the brooding "Mirror's Image", which sports a undeniably smooth intro and catchy synth loop, "Scarlet Fields", a beautiful and intense powerhouse, and "Sea Within a Sea", the eight-minute long single. However, this is an album that works best in its full context, and for that, it's worth picking up a copy of it in its entirety.