The Horrors can rationalise away so much of their criticism by saying it’s just people taking umbrage with their hair. Or their tight, tight jeans. But after listening to ‘She Is The New Thing’ a few times, you have to admit that some of the cynicism is because of the noises they make in between back-combing those barnets.
The truth of the matter is this sounds like something that the 80s Matchbox could’ve left on the studio floor. Right down from the could’ve-been-created-on-a-kazoo riff, the junior school keyboards and Faris Rotter’s hollow sounding punk nonchalance. But Guy McKnight did it first, and more importantly, he did it better.
Of course, if you’re going to copy someone, imitating one of the best Brit bands to lurch out of the shadows in the last decade is probably a smart move. There is a certain level of sideshow-hypnotist lure to it, after all.
I hear they don’t do encores? Neither did King Adora.
‘She Is The New Thing’ is released on June 25.
