The Horrors

The Horrors launched their career as a garage punk group sporting towering hairstyles and all-black clothing before shifting into more adventurous sonic territory. Vocalist Faris Badwan, bassist Tom Furse, guitarist Joshua Hayward, drummer Joe Spurgeon, and keyboardist Rhys Webb formed the band in summer 2005, swiftly attracting attention across London through their distinctive appearance, raw sound, and short, high-energy performances. Loog quickly offered a deal, leading to the spring 2006 release of the group’s first official single, “Sheena Is a Parasite/Jack the Ripper.” Later that summer they issued their follow-up single, Death at the Chapel, while also putting out a limited-edition DVD reissue of “Sheena Is a Parasite,” whose striking video was helmed by Chris Cunningham and starred actress Samantha Morton. Toward the end of the season the band signed with Stolen Transmission in the United States and delivered a self-titled EP that autumn, around the same time the Count in Fives single appeared in the U.K.

Early in 2007 the Gloves single preceded the full-length debut Strange House, which reached U.K. stores in March and U.S. outlets in May. That same year Webb and Furse launched the analog-synth side project Spider & the Flies, releasing the album Something Clockwork This Way Comes. For the 2009 album Primary Colours the band enlisted co-producers Chris Cunningham and Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, embracing an entirely new palette that blended shoegaze, post-punk, and goth elements; XL issued the record that spring to widespread critical acclaim, including NME’s Album of the Year honor. Between band projects Badwan collaborated with Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira on the hazy-pop outfit Cat’s Eyes, whose self-titled debut surfaced in early 2011. The Horrors handled production duties themselves for the lighter yet atmospheric Skying later that year, an effort that drew stylistic parallels to My Bloody Valentine and the Psychedelic Furs. In 2012 they followed with the remix collection Higher and embarked on a lengthy tour. Recording sessions for new material began in 2013 under producer Craig Silvey, and the expansive single “I See You” previewed the fourth album Luminous, which arrived in May 2014. Work on the next record commenced in 2015 at London’s Church Studios with Paul Epworth, yielding a darker, rawer but still danceable sound informed by ’80s post-punk, synth-pop, and ’90s dance music. The resulting album V appeared in September 2017.