KEY POINTS:
Looking at them - with their glowering eyes, dark hair, and skinny crossed legs - it would be too easy to make up your mind about the Horrors' music without even listening to it. For the oldies it could be Bauhaus or the Cramps, for the young ones it's the gothic Strokes (because the Horrors are not emo, okay?).
The Bauhaus reference is not far off, thanks to singer Faris Badwan's cutting goth grumble, and the Horrors' lurching punk rock will inspire a few flying high kicks. There's Excellent Choice with a great tense surf guitar and pulsing distorted beats spurring it along; and perhaps the best song is She Is the New Thing, which has a particularly kinky keyboard.
Initially, Strange House appears to be a weird and wonderful creation that sounds unique. But while a song like Jack the Ripper is a real neck chiller, after a time the album isn't that strange and there's nothing particularly bloodcurdling about the Horrors (creepy instrumental Gil Sleeping could be the music to a scene from Scary Movie 4). Then there's the problem that they stink of being a flash-in-the-pan. But to be fair, most of these songs represent a bloody good time, especially if you were to see it live.
Verdict: Strong debut from goth punk five piece but can it last?
Label: Polydor
