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'Death at the Chapel': A Horror Film in Miniature

The Horrors' members unleash a blast of chaotic garage-punk suitable for seedy clubs and Halloween parties.
The Horrors' members unleash a blast of chaotic garage-punk suitable for seedy clubs and Halloween parties.

The Horrors' members look like the Cure and sound a bit like The Cramps, so it's no surprise that their music, their message and their clothing are plenty dark. Their self-titled debut EP delivers a 15-minute blast of chaotic garage-punk suitable for seedy clubs and very short Halloween parties.

"Death at the Chapel" lays out the appropriately unsettling tale of a murderous, motorcycle-bound wedding crasher named Eddie: As an organ blares amid hand-claps and heavy bass, the protagonist/antagonist "adjusts his goggles as the fog begins to thicken / and pushing down on the accelerator / Oh, too late for Jimmy."

As the song picks up speed, so does Eddie: "With a heart as black as coffee / he smashed into John and Betty / screaming, 'No one will ever love you!'" Horrifying and entertaining in equal measure, "Death at the Chapel" unfolds like a campy two-minute horror film. It's funny and gory and engrossing, all at once.

Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'

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John Richards
John Richards is the host and producer of The Morning Show with John on 90.3 FM KEXP Seattle, and online at kexp.org. He is also KEXP's assistant program director.