Luminous, the Horrors’ much-anticipiated and long-awaited follow up to their critically applauded 2011 release, Skying was recorded over a 15 month period in the band’s East London studio/laboratory/bunker with co-producer Craig Silvey, who has worked with the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire and the National. As the London-based quintet were set to write and record new material, they were determined to create material that was much brighter, more positive and take on more of an electronic sound. Bassist Rhys Webb has been quoted as saying that the intent was to ” … make music you can dance to, music that elevates …” And interestingly, Tom Cowan, the band’s keyboardist has mentioned that not only were the Beatles and Black Sabbathpart of the band’s influences on this effort, but Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, J. Dilla, Metroplex/Trax Records, soul, dub step and psychedelia.
“So Now You Know,” the second and latest single off Luminous, much like the album’s first single “I See You” manages to be a more of a refinement oft he band’s sound rather than a radical change in sonic direction – the pulsating, undulating synths are reminiscent of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno in the sense that they create a very specific ambient, atmospheric mood, while propelling the song forward and making the material much more danceable. And yet, both singles also manage to possess the same psychedelic sensibility – through layers upon layers of swirling sound, and it evokes the sensation of taking hallucinogens while under strobe light. However, there are major differences between both “So Now You Know” and “I Can See You,” – lyrically, “So Now You Know” manages to evoke both Skying and the new effort; but more importantly, “I Can See You” felt like a band that can go on a loose, extended groove, while “So Now You Know” is a tighter, compact song in comparison. In some way, the song sounds as though it could have been a hidden track off Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express and much like that album it seems to open one’s mind to glorious possibility.
