The Horrors’ 2011 third studio album, Skying, is a majestic, euphoric, and sprawling triumph of modern psych-rock, post-punk, and shoegaze. Building on the dark, gothic post-punk of their sophomore effort Primary Colours, Skying blew the doors wide open, shifting the band's aesthetic into a bright, sweeping, and motorik-driven sonic sky.
Self-produced at the band's London studio, the album's soundscape is a rich, atmospheric wall of sound. It is built on shimmering, chorus-heavy guitars, swirling synth arpeggios, and dense layers of analog organs that echo classic Krautrock (Neu!, Can) and 80s dream-pop (The Chameleons, Simple Minds, Psychedelic Furs). Rhys Webb’s melodic, pulsing basslines and Coffin Joe’s steady, hypnotic, driving drum grooves provide a relentless, danceable spine that pushes tracks forward.
Floating over the top is Faris Badwan’s vocals—softened, reverbed, and far more melodic than on previous releases, echoing like a distant call through a fog of lush instrumentation. From the epic, brass-infused build of the single "I See You" to the hypnotic, driving kraut-rock pulse of "Sea Within a Sea" successor "Moving Further Away," Skying is an expansive, beautifully layered, and triumphantly hypnotic record that feels both cavernous and soaring.
The Horrors’ 2011 third studio album, Skying, is a majestic, euphoric, and sprawling triumph of modern psych-rock, post-punk, and shoegaze. Building on the dark, gothic post-punk of their sophomore effort Primary Colours, Skying blew the doors wide open, shifting the band's aesthetic into a bright, sweeping, and motorik-driven sonic sky.
Self-produced at the band's London studio, the album's soundscape is a rich, atmospheric wall of sound. It is built on shimmering, chorus-heavy guitars, swirling synth arpeggios, and dense layers of analog organs that echo classic Krautrock (Neu!, Can) and 80s dream-pop (The Chameleons, Simple Minds, Psychedelic Furs). Rhys Webb’s melodic, pulsing basslines and Coffin Joe’s steady, hypnotic, driving drum grooves provide a relentless, danceable spine that pushes tracks forward.
Floating over the top is Faris Badwan’s vocals—softened, reverbed, and far more melodic than on previous releases, echoing like a distant call through a fog of lush instrumentation. From the epic, brass-infused build of the single "I See You" to the hypnotic, driving kraut-rock pulse of "Sea Within a Sea" successor "Moving Further Away," Skying is an expansive, beautifully layered, and triumphantly hypnotic record that feels both cavernous and soaring.