The Horrors - Against The Blade

The Horrors marked their new sonic territory in phenomenal style back in March with the three-pronged aural assault that was EP ‘Lout’, a near-perfect display of industrial noise peppered with techno influences and a level of sheer darkness you feel even their ‘Strange House’-era haircuts would be proud to see in their future. ‘Against the Blade’, another three-track effort, ups the ante even more, seeing the quintet push even further into various extremes to scintillating effect. The lead title track is the best song The Horrors have put their name to so far, a bristling, furiously intense slice of goth-leaning synth pop with both a mammoth chorus and impeccably tense middle eight that can’t help but beg for a circle pit. No less immediate, ‘Twisted Skin’ is built around a giant, skittish riff and Faris Badwan’s not-quite-shout, while ‘I Took A Deep Breath Then Kept My Mouth Shut’, meanwhile - six minutes of stabbing synths and repetitive almost chant-like lyrics - takes ’90s rave into the black: a party, but make it sinister. More of this, please.