Horrible: The Singles and Covers Of 2017 – January to April.

Horrible – Chicago, Illinois, USA.

 For our previous work on the band – Click Here.

Chicago natives Horrible are a band that have decided to break away from the usual formula of releasing a follow-up to their But Is It Even Music, Really? release, instead opting for, for the entirety of 2017, a single and B-side per month.

But this not just as it sounds, rather an original single inspired from different beginnings and a cover to compliment the theme further or simply to contrast. Horrible will likely be release their May single and B-side very soon but for now, we are capping progress at April.

// January //

January saw a song in the style of staples Devo in a track sat somewhere between Post-Punk, its cantankerous uncle Punk-Rock and that lovable loser next door neighbour, Surf-Rock. ‘Pacific View’ is playful in it’s jangly Surf-guitar, British Post-Punk vocals and dated but cutting Punk rhythms as it tackles materialism and whether it’s better just to escape it all.

The band’s cover for said month was a rendition of the Joy Division classic, ‘Disorder’.

// February //

February saw ‘Lament Configuration’ act as tribute to the film Hellraiser in a manner attempting to liken itself to days past but still present for Iron Maiden fans, the era of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

‘Lament Configuration’ for its first half still sounds like a Punk-song albeit more led in a very NWOBHM guitar tone in the manner of its layers. In many ways it sent my mind to the incredibly influential Dag Nasty but still simultaneously wouldn’t allow me to forget the Metal of the situation, a situation that heads complete down that road never to return from the 1:50 mark.

The February cover saw itself cover the late Pop royalty known as Prince with the track, ‘I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man’.

// March //

March involved synths, Punk and politics with ‘Time To Stand’. Horrible channel their love of the upbeat, Garage Rock and Post-Punk into a track more characteristic of the band and their roots. ‘Time To Stand’ in both very well written yet also very simplistic in a manner that personally led me to compare this track to The Clash.

Horrible have taken us back to late 70’s upbeat Punk-Rock with just a sampling of the Pop music reaction of the decade that followed, with an almost psychedelic twang just because. – ‘[..] gotta shed light on the shade to find the filth below’.

Another late and great among the apparent theme, March saw David Bowie‘s ‘Suffragette City’ take a turn for Garage Punk in another excellent cover from back in the day. Horrible’s cover of ‘Suffragette City’ is perhaps the strongest and most memorable of the covers up until this point and managed to get my neck moving despite the whiplash.

 

// April //

Now, I’m not entirely sure what ‘Glitter Blood’ is about but its very much classically Horrible. Now while that sentence sinks in I can tell why this song is very much some of the best work the band have penned.

Horrible are at core a Punk band or failing that, a band that count the crucial stylistics of the genre and its children close to their hearts. Horrible would (and I’m sure they do) fit countless diverse bills. The Punks would dance along and be surprised in their enjoyment and the Indie kids would bob along in some manner that would see their trendy haircuts bob-along in unison.

‘Glitter Blood’ is driven, gritty, rhythmic and addictive. The lead guitar tone may well be dreary for the most part but it guides you gently forward to the point where it makes it safely home and to the arms of another of its kind, where the two guitars intertwine perfectly to close.

The final cover of Horrible’s run of singles and B-sides so far comes from the The Libertines in a classic from the British Indie Rock scene of the early to mid 2000’s, in fitting tone with the corresponding A-side.

Horrible are not only covering material dear to them which is always interesting but also doing it indeed very well and as result are finding themselves increasing their bipedal tempo as they continue down the road to progression, leaving but one thing to be said…

I have no idea what they will do next and I am ok with that.

Find the band below:

• Social Media/Updates: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Official Website.
• Music: Spotify, SoundCloud, bandcamp.

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