The magnitude of The Horrors’ transformation from goth-punk, buzz band to one of the most innovative UK rock bands cannot be understated. There was a time, let’s say 2007, when this gangly bunch of lads camping the Cramps seemed destined to be forgotten by 2008. Not so today. With a little help from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, the band, led by Faris Badwan, reinvented themselves on 2009’s Primary Colours as a fascinating hybrid of post-punk, new-wave and krautrock. There were mind-buzzing dervishes of sound and low, brooding melodies; Grand swooshes, whirs, beeps and creaks, and when you least expected it, a grand, anthem, like that of Richard Butler and The Psychedelic Furs. Consequently, a song like, “Still Life,” with its mix of fluttering backwards tracks, glittering synths, tight bass lines and love torn sentiments, can lo longer be called a surprise. Instead, it’s a glimpse of what one has to assume is many wonders to come.

VIDEO: The Horrors – Still Life

Skying will be out August 9th on XL/Beggars US. The album is now streaming in its entirety at The Horrors’ website.