Photo by Sarah Piantadosi
The Horrors creep back from the crypt, reanimated and reeking of fresh ambition, as they slowly unveil Trial By Fire, the a new single from Night Life, their latest frightful full-length set to haunt listeners on March 21st, 2025, through Fiction Records. This latest lineup breathes new life into their original spirit, a return to the blood-pumping thrill that first set them apart.
In a devilish tease, the UK quintet has summoned forth an eerily atmospheric video that will raise goosebumps. Trial By Fire is a ghastly delight, a grim, brooding piece that nods to their early terror-fueled work while digging into deeper, dread-soaked themes cultivated in recent years. Each echo, each eerie beat reminds listeners that The Horrors haven’t lost their bite—they’re baring their fangs, ready to lead us back into the dark. This is one hell of a nightmarish resurrection, sure to possess the ears and souls of those brave enough to listen.
“Trial By Fire is one of the more aggressive songs on Night Life, bridging the gap between our two industrial EPs and the new album,” says the band. “Rhys began the demo in Southend isolation, before we got together and twisted it into something meaner. It’s about the curses that follow you through your life. For The Horrors, every day is Halloween.”
Directed by Paris Seawell, the video unfolds in a strange sequence of sinister figures creeping through the night, their slow-motion steps deliberate, as if hatching wicked schemes. These ghouls march with an eerie calm, their intentions unsettling, hinting at darkness lurking just beyond the corner. In these strange times, it’s a fitting reflection—uncertain, unsettling, and thick with the weight of something ominous, reminding us that the true terrors are often those we cannot see. It’s a grim and gripping tableau, a shadowed glimpse into a world where fear prowls unseen.
Watch the video for Trial By Fire below:
The Horrors unleash Trial By Fire like a stone through glass, every splinter catching the raw glint of their beginnings. The bassline prowls low, coiling through the fog, as Badwan’s growl clashes with Kidd’s ethereal whispers—a spectral duet drifting through abandoned streets beneath a pale, unfeeling sky. Their voices echo like ghosts, brushing past ruins, stirring up forgotten memories and unsettling reveries in a grim ballet that feels both familiar and ominous.
Listen to Trial By Fire below:
Night Life is The Horrors’ first LP since 2017’s V and the 2021 EPs Lout and Against the Blade, marking the first time The Horrors step forward without their original lineup—absent are keyboardist Tom Furse and drummer Joe Spurgeon. In 2021, the Southend stalwarts announced their shift to a four-piece after Furse decided to step away, stating he’s “more of a maker than a performer,” leaving the rigors of touring behind.
The band’s sixth album showcases a refined roster: Faris Badwan’s brooding baritone still leads, with Rhys Webb’s bass rumbling beneath, while Joshua Hayward’s jagged guitar lines slice through. New blood comes from Amelia Kidd’s atmospheric keys and Jordan Cook, formerly of Telegram, on drums. Their sound, now sharper with experience, reflects both maturity and melancholy.
Badwan and Webb began crafting demos in Webb’s North London flat, the foundation of a record later shaped in Los Angeles with Yves Rothman, known for his work with Yves Tumor and Blondshell. Hayward’s guitar scrawled its final strokes back in London, with Kidd contributing from afar.
“The Night Life here is not the vim and vigour of pubs and clubs,” says the band. “It’s the thoughts that happen under the cover of darkness; the places your mind takes you when the rest of the world is asleep.”
In late November, The Horrors will head out on an intimate UK tour in support of Night Life, stopping in London, Manchester, Leeds, and more. General on-sale tickets will be available here.
UK Tour Dates:
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