Skying

Skying is the third studio album by British band The Horrors. The album was released on 11 July 2011 in the UK and on 9 August 2011 in the USA on XL Recordings.[1]

Skying
Studio album by
The Horrors
Released11 July 2011
Recorded2011
StudioOfferclass Ltd., London; Miloco Garden, Shoreditch, London, England
Genre
Length54:36
LanguageEnglish
LabelXL
Producer
  • The Horrors
  • Craig Silvey
The Horrors chronology
Primary Colours
(2009)		 Skying
(2011)		 Higher
(2012)
Singles from Skying
  1. "Still Life"
    Released: 11 July 2011
  2. "I Can See Through You"
    Released: 3 October 2011
  3. "Changing the Rain"
    Released: 12 March 2012

Background and recording

Recorded by the group in their self-built London studio, it is the first album they produced themselves. Two months prior to its release, the song "Still Life" was premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show, where it was played in its entirety and named as his "Hottest Record in the World".[2] This was the first track to be released from the album and the first indicator to fans of the direction the album would take.

Style

The album's sound was noted as including elements of post-punk revival,[3] neo-psychedelia[4] and shoegazing.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[5]
Metacritic83/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The A.V. ClubB+[8]
The Guardian[9]
The Independent[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Mojo[12]
NME8/10[13]
Pitchfork7.5/10[14]
Q[15]
Spin7/10[16]

Skying received considerable attention from the music press before its release, following the overwhelming positive response to Primary Colours. Numerous music publications confirmed it would be their album of the month in upcoming issues including Mojo and Q. The single "Still Life" gained far more media exposure and mainstream radio airplay than previous releases, reaching the Radio 1 A list.

Reviewing the album for BBC Music, Mike Diver wrote, "There's no fault to be found with Skying – truly, every song here hits its mark... From the most incongruous of beginnings, The Horrors have become national treasures in waiting, and now possess the ability to realise any ambitions". Likewise, Clash ran the review as a lead album feature, with writer Joe Zadeh declaring the Horrors as "an intellectually collective five-piece, fully immersed in the confidence of their own astonishing abilities".

Hot Press said: "This is fundamentally a psych-rock record...From the cover – an ethereal sea/sky combo with lens flare at the periphery – to the vague, fuzzy song titles..., Skying is a very tripped-out kind of album, with echoes of the early '90s shoegaze brigade... However, the Horrors have the happy knack of always putting their own distinctive twist on familiar reference points".[17]

Phoenix New Times said, "Skying finds the Horrors comfortable in the post-punk, touches-of-shoegaze groove that Colours established."

Mojo placed the album at No. 2 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011"[18] while Uncut placed the album at No. 6.[19] Q placed it at 11. Skying won the Best Album prize at the 2012 NME Awards.

As of January 2012, UK sales stood at 65,000 copies according to The Guardian.[20]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Changing the Rain"4:36
2."You Said"4:51
3."I Can See Through You"4:22
4."Endless Blue"5:15
5."Dive In"4:56
6."Still Life"5:26
7."Wild Eyed"4:09
8."Moving Further Away"8:39
9."Monica Gems"4:33
10."Oceans Burning"7:54
Japanese CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."You Said (Ambient Version)"8:12
12."Changing the Rain (Ambient Version)"8:56
US digital bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Wild Eyed (Andrew Weatherall Remix)"7:13

Personnel

The Horrors

  • Faris Badwan – vocals
  • Joshua Third – guitar
  • Tom Furse – keyboards
  • Rhys Webb – bass guitar, keyboards
  • Joe Spurgeon – drums

Additional personnel

  • Derek Watkins, John Barclay, Mark Nightingale, Martin Owen, Richard Edwards, Richard Watkins – horns (tracks 4 and 6)

Charts
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Scottish Albums Chart[21] 7
UK Albums Chart[22] 5
U.S. Billboard 20097
U.S. Billboard Rock Albums18
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums11
U.S. Billboard Alternative Albums12
U.S. Billboard Tastemaker Albums3

Certification
Country Certification
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver[23]

Release history
Region Date Distributing label Format Catalog
Australia[24] 8 July 2011 XL 2LP, CD, digital download 2LP: XLLP539
CD: XLCD539
United Kingdom[25] 11 July 2011
United States[26] 9 August 2011

References
  1. Neyland, Nick (7 July 2011). "The Horrors: "Still Life" | Tracks". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  2. "New Album - 'Skying'". The Horrors. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. KCRW Music Host Mario Cotto (31 July 2011). "First Listen: The Horrors, 'Skying'". NPR. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  4. Rich, Matt James (17 August 2011). "The Horrors – Skying". Playgroundmisnomer.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  5. "Skying by The Horrors reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  6. "Reviews for Skying by The Horrors". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  7. Phares, Heather. "Skying – The Horrors". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  8. O'Neal, Sean (9 August 2011). "The Horrors: Skying". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  9. Lynskey, Dorian (10 July 2011). "The Horrors: Skying – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  10. Gill, Andy (8 July 2011). "Album: The Horrors, Skying (XL)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  11. Diehl, Matt (9 August 2011). "Album review: The Horrors 'Skying'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  12. "The Horrors: Skying". Mojo (213): 90. August 2011.
  13. Brailey, Louise (28 June 2011). "Album Review: The Horrors – 'Skying'". NME. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  14. Grandy, Eric (25 July 2011). "The Horrors: Skying". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  15. "The Horrors: Skying". Q (301): 110. August 2011.
  16. Anderson, Stacey (26 July 2011). "The Horrors, 'Skying' (XL)". Spin. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  17. Nolan, Paul (29 July 2011). "Skying". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  19. "Uncut's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  20. Lynskey, Dorian (16 January 2012). "Indie rock's slow and painful death". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  21. "Scottish Albums Top 40 - 17th December 2011". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  22. "Official UK Albums Top 100 - 17th December 2011 | The UK Charts | Top 40 | Official Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. "Skying | Music , Music Genres, Alternative : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  25. "Welcome to Rough Trade Shops". Roughtrade.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  26. "iTunes - Music - Skying (Bonus Track Version) by The Horrors". Itunes.apple.com. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
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