Beginning as a big-haired, black-clad, garage-punk outfit and soon morphing into something more experimental, the Horrors emerged at a time when most U.K. acts were following the angular, abrasive template established by the Arctic Monkeys, the Futureheads, and their ilk. The band's full-length debut, Strange House, arrived in 2007, but for 2009's Primary Colours, the band worked with director Chris Cunningham and Portishead's Geoff Barrow as co-producers, opting for a very different sound that mixed shoegaze, post-punk, and goth; the album was released by XL that spring and earned several critical raves, including NME's Album of the Year. The Horrors self-produced their follow-up, 2011's Skying, which featured a lighter yet still atmospheric sound. ~ Heather Phares