The Horrors take us through the night, between anxiety and the sacred, with their new album Night Life. Don’t miss the review!
NIGHT LIFE – THE HORRORS
The Night Life that The Horrors refer to on this new album belongs to thrillers and the darkest parts of humanity. Here, no neon lights are guiding us towards laughter or debauchery. Nor are there stars leading us to other worlds. Ariel sets the tone for the album with its chilling, intriguing atmosphere. The vocals provide a beautiful contrast to this mysterious canvas, advancing its range into the epic. The Horrors doesn’t hesitate to offer harsher, more muted, more experimental sounds, like Silent Sister, which sent a chill down my spine, only to return to riffs that are more familiar but devilishly effective.
With The Silence That Remains, the story continues to gain depth. The haunting and melancholic tone serves their narrative well. It’s a gem! The attention to detail is incredible! The band’s aesthetic is thus refreshed, just as their line-up is, in the most beautiful way. Indeed, this is their first studio album with their new members, Amelia Kidd and Jordan Cook. This new era is also reflected in more expected tracks, where they choose a rawer, more garage-like sound, such as the excellent Trial By Fire, or a more shoegaze feel with The Feeling Is Gone.
While The Horrors have evolved, as we’ve seen, they do so without forgetting their roots, deeply ingrained in 20 years of career. So, they continue to experiment, blending euphoric bass lines and intoxicating melodies on the unsettling, relaxing, and semi-contemplative Lotus Eater. After the sensual and melancholic prayer on More Than Life comes the bright, echoing prayer of When The Rhythm Breaks. The anxious night from the beginning is indeed the same one where we pray, love, and try to understand our thoughts—dark, spiritual, indistinct, yet full of hope. To close Night Life, The Horrors offers a final track, more vintage, but one that captures all these elements perfectly: LA Runway. A great record!
