Shock Horror Release Debut EP ‘Terraform!’

Words by Luke Bower

Bristol based art-prog outfit Shock Horror have unveiled their assertive debut EP ‘Terraform!’; a self described ‘first full artistic statement’ for the four piece that stakes its claim among the UK art-punk landscape from the outset. Recorded over a winter weekend in Bristol’s famed Louisiana basement, housing recent releases from similarly emerging Bristolian forces HAAL and LICE, Shock Horror’s final result oozes with a mature complexity and jaunting sonic textual exploration, held together by an unmistakable glue of post-punk disposition that the band exercise in full effect.

The leading single ‘Ecosystem’ boasts a dizzying contagiousness in 6/4, with rousing arrangements of angular guitar and yowling synth to accompany vocalist Charlie Burnham’s mantra-like angst: ‘Shut up! Get out! You should watch your damn mouth!’. The track’s ability to retain its bite whilst experimenting rhythmically is a testament to the outfit’s ability to balance tone masterfully; a sentiment that is felt across the entire EP. ‘My Favourite Mistake’ channels similar tendencies, and houses expansive, reverb laden vocals in its verses, that are unified to the tightness of Shock Horror’s rhythm section and the unexpected danceability of their overall sound. 

However, it’s on ‘Terraform!’s lengthier cuts that the band fully comes into their own. Highlight ‘Manhunt’ undergoes a contorting metamorphosis throughout its ambitious 7 minute runtime, resulting in an effort that is in equal parts haunting as it is melodically infectious. The track holds an unwavering menace once Josh Simmons guttural and imposing synth leads come into the fold, paving the way for a propelling groove that weaves and disfigures with an intoxicating flare, echoing the live ferocity of contemporaries Squid or Folly Group.

The final track ‘Meet You There’ acts as a monolithic conclusion, conveying discordant chasms of temper and wrestling between atmosphere and ferocity to resounding effect. It’s here where producer Alfie Tyson-Brown adjoins with Shock Horror’s vision to converge intrigue and claustrophobia to its maximum, which could be in part due to the pace and intensity at which these tracks were recorded in and of itself. The EP’s final moments deliver passages that are as sonically cathartic as they are asphyxiating and nauseating, with walls of sound that bookend the record with as much fervour as a first release can muster. 

‘Terraform!’ yields an unequivocal urgency that rivals much of what the UK progressive art-rock scene has to offer right now, that sees Shock Horror cover trepidatious sonic ground through colliding math-rock, slow-core and dashes of ambient, all the while retaining a jostling post-punk snarl. And it’s not unlike this experimentation is going unnoticed either, with the band garnering notable accreditation from IDLES heavy hitter Joe Talbot, and notable forthcoming live dates approaching, it appears Shock Horror show no signs of stopping here. 

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Upcoming Live Dates

Supporting Poor Effort / Promoter: Akoustik Anarkhy 

Bristol / The Lanes / Friday 4th July (headline)

Promotor: Gravy Train

Oxford / Common Ground / Thursday 17th July (headline)

Promotor: Oxfordshire Music Scene Magazine

Truck Festival / Friday 25th July

Promotor: Superstruct Entertainment

Reading / Oakford Social Club / Thursday 21st August

Promotor: Closer To Home