I’m generally skeptical of “next big thing” groups, but my level of skepticism doubled for The Horrors; a Scottish group whose dodgy haircuts, black eyeliner, and recent formation (they came together in 2005) led me to believe that they’re little more than a bunch of bratty kids playing dress up for big record label bucks. However, the band’s debut EP destroys most of those prejudices in under fifteen minutes with it’s potent mix of white-hot farfisa-filled garage punk and rockabilly influences; all played with a campy horror theme and throat-shredding vocals. Sure, this sort of thing has been done before (The Cramps have been doing it for thirty years), but in The Horrors’ hands it’s fresh and exciting again. Lead single “Sheena Is A Parasite” will probably get all the attention, thanks to a creepy video directed by Chris Cunningham and its’ slim 100-second length, but each of these five tracks (which include covers of Screaming Lord Sutch’s “Jack the Ripper” and The Syndicats “Crawdaddy Simone”) has a ferocious energy that indicates that The Horrors are the real deal.
