Aaron Frank is a 4th cousin, twice removed from Bela Lugosi.
The Horrors’ new single is a bold statement about their current direction in style. On their first two albums, the UK psych-rockers were heartbroken and bitter, and dressed the part. With 2011’s Skying and their new single “I See You,” it’s clear they moved onto a brighter, fuzzier chapter.
It’s that special time in the history of a band where members start dishing out experimental side projects and looking at the big picture. On Skying, the Horrors showed they were more than capable of offering a larger palette of sounds than their look might suggest.
After 2011 though, that was pretty much it. We heard singer Faris Badwan’s side project Cat’s Eyes later that year. Guitarist Joshua Hayward and a couple other members worked on their own side projects and collaborated with members of Pond. Then, last summer the Horrors announced they’d be pushing their follow-up, Luminous, back another year.
If “I See You” is indicative of a more thorough, engaging future for the band, then I don’t mind a longer wait between releases. Albums are rushed too much as it is, and the Horrors are at the height of the career. It’s understandable and worthy of applause, particularly when the first peek at the album takes my expectations out back and sets them ablaze.
“I See You” is a lush, colorful, complex piece of music, and at seven and a half minutes in length, an equally bold statement as a choice for a single. Containing three separate movements, it begins with an extremely accessible dance-rock groove that veers into a dazzling synth-led breakdown. The dueling synth and guitar melodies swirl into a tense crescendo that stops at a dead halt, as if it to say “That’s it for now.”
While Hayward and keyboardist Tom Cowan contribute impressive arrangements, it’s singer Faris Badwan whose lyrics are staggering in parts. Badwan is a gifted writer and artist, and his intellect came through on Skying. He’s one of few modern lyricists capable of beautifully touching lyrics open to a broad range of interpretations.
But “I See You” is about identity and the difficulty of forming one while being pulled in different directions. The idea isn’t new, but it certainly seems more prevalent now with social media. Rates of depression and anxiety have surged as we’ve opened ourselves up to constant judgement online. Nonetheless, it’s the artist’s job to point this out, and Badwan does it quite elegantly. It should be interesting to see what other heady subjects he dives into on Luminous, out May 5th.
