It must be hard for a young British band growing up as NME darlings, but the Horrors seem to have handled it all rather well. They made the cover of the magazine in 2006 before having even released an EP, presumably on the strength of their black cotton-candy haircuts and their media connections. And they debuted first single "Sheena Is a Parasite" with an equally uncommon assist from director Chris Cunningham, who had previously done his unsettling, special effects heavy work for more musical outliers such as Aphex Twin and Autechre.
But if the Horrors' high profile debut was baffling, their follow-up moves were encouraging. They spoofed themselves with an appearance on an episode of the British comedy "The Mighty Boosh", as a band called the Black Tubes, in an episode revolving around protagonist Vince Noir trying to squeeze into a pair of impossibly skinny jeans so he can join the band. They quickly shed the campy, dark garage shocks of debut Strange House, announced a sophomore album produced by Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Cunningham (the latter resulting in a lot of "cinematic" talk despite his decidedly claustrophobic small-screen style), and started stretching out their sound to accommodate eight-minute krautrock jams. This is perhaps the best you can hope for from your rising rock stars: a willingness to laugh at oneself and a will to evolve.
Skying continues the evolution set in motion 2009's Primary Colours, but with an emphasis on melody and pop form. This time, the band recorded and produced in their own studio, crafting a sound that recalls both the gothic pomp of 80s new wave and the big-screen dreaming of early-90s shoegaze, just as it was beginning to transform into chart-conquering Britpop. That the record can be heard as a catalogue of influences is nothing new for this outfit. They've routinely been tagged as "record collector rock" for their unabashed aping of influences from the Cramps to Can-- and indeed their well-selected covers indicate a group that has spent some time in record shops. Skying isn't likely to change that perception. The insistent chorus and Badwan's breathy delivery on "I Can See Through You" comes off like the Psychedelic Furs run through the effects rack of My Bloody Valentine. "Monica Gems" nods to Suede with its decadent guitar swirl and Badwan's moaning sighs. On "Endless Blue", a horn section pops in for the floating intro as if borrowed from a James Bond theme by way of Blur or "This Is Hardcore" before the song abruptly surges into an impressive rock nosedive. The debts owed here are obvious, but the taste is impeccable, and the application is more often than not convincing.
There are moments when the band stretches out past seven minutes and opts for something more impressionistic, like the hypnotic "Moving Further Away" and the reclining-then-softly-erupting album closer "Oceans Burning", but the Horrors seem otherwise content to craft solid, emotionally inflected rock songs here. Lead single "Still Life" sets the tone in that regard, with an appealing bucolic stupor, rhythm section keeping half time, synths seeping backwards, and frontman Faris Badwan singing in a low, foggy voice that holds its spot high in the mix as easily as it drifts away on the chorus. That it brings to mind Simple Minds and, by extension, teen angst of the John Hughes variety, is by no means a negative.
Both Badwan's voice and the band's production have made some strides here: He sounds surer behind the microphone than ever, and the band's guitars and synths are frequently smoothed of shrieks into one great blur, the black eyeliner watered down and smudged into a gray cloud. So while they may have started out as all glittering surfaces, the Horrors have evolved into a dependable band making wide-reaching rock music. Whether a calculated retreat or just a natural maturation, the Horrors have found a sound more content with background and atmosphere, and it suits them nicely.
