Culture

Rating: B+

In 2007 The Horrors stormed to fame with Strange House, a gothic garage punk album. They were by all means a personification of their sound, dressed in black, dolled with eye-liner, and with haircuts resembling the Addams Family. In 2009 a surprising thing happened. The Horrors returned with another album, Primary Colors, but their costumes were gone, and with it came a transformation in their sound. A more shoegaze, post-punk direction was introduced. This new sound was further emphasised in 2011’s Skying which bordered more on dream-pop, yet retained their dark, brooding psychedelic demeanor. It is now 2014, three years since The Horrors have released a studio album. You can’t help but wonder what direction will they take their music this time round?

Luminous is the title of the group’s long awaited fourth record. Judging from the front it looks like a Horrors record, the word “luminous” is a very Horrors word, I’m up to the fourth song of the record and it sounds exactly like what I remember The Horrors sounding like three years ago.

The obviously constant factor is of course Faris Badwan’s deep, booming voice. It haunts each track, like the ghostly looming presence he has come to represent. Again he is brooding about something darkly romantic and slightly morbid. “Through the summer, you can breathe the air, rest forever ‘cause there’s nothing else” he croons in “I See You.”

The synths which adorned the walls of Skying are again back; they are lush and they wash in and out like waves of light through a stained glass window. This is what I see when I close my eyes; The Horrors in a cathedral, just jamming out with lots of cool lights. It’s all very neon but at the same time very, very gothic. It’s this interesting blend of future-meets-past you get with The Horrors.

Most tracks are around the four to five minute mark and flow nicely into one another. Though every song celebrates a similar aesthetic sound-wise, the record is a little more diverse than it may seem at first. With “Change Your Mind” the most noticeable, sounding like a drugged up, psychedelic version of an early Scott Walker song. “Falling Star” is the most immediate, obvious pop song but falls into the category of brooding, romantic, dark, dream-pop ballad. The band’s specialty.

Luminous is not a shift in direction for The Horrors, nor is it an evolution of their sound since 2011’s Skying. But that doesn’t take away the fact the album has some blissfully flailing moments. It’s definitely not the most immediately rewarding experience, and it takes some time to grow into, but Luminous does have its merits. The songwriting is still just as strong and the arrangements just as lush. Not an outstanding album, but a worthy one.