Review
'Night Life' emerges from the shadows after an eight-year silence from The Horrors, a band who could teach Dracula a thing or two about dramatic reappearances. Founding members Faris Badwan and Rhys Webb, now joined by newcomers Amelia Kidd and Jordan Cook, have concocted a brew that's equal parts familiar gloom and unexpected vitality. The album swings from the ominous opener 'Ariel' to the surprisingly danceable 'Lotus Eater'—a track that wouldn't be out of place at 3 AM in a warehouse party where everyone's wearing more eyeliner than clothes.
Between the doom-rock heft of 'More Than Life' and the shimmering vulnerability of 'When The Rhythm Breaks,' The Horrors demonstrate why they've remained relevant in the ever-shifting post-punk scene. 'Trial By Fire' delivers choruses that soar higher than a bat with jetpacks, while 'L.A. Runaway' closes proceedings with a nostalgic pop sensibility that feels both unexpected and perfectly placed. On my scale of extinct mammals, 'Night Life' rates a solid Woolly Rhinoceros—massive, surprisingly nimble, and leaving impressive tracks across the 2025 musical tundra. - Clarence
