These New Puritans

Anyone who’s complained that British music these days is either too hung up on Amy Winehouse, the questionable legacy of Pete Doherty or those persistent Arctic Monkeys hasn’t met These New Puritans. Although there is a heavy lean towards the ethos and, undeniably, the inimitable vocals of Mark E. Smith and the Fall, TNP throw a whack of sounds against the wall, not to see what sticks but to ensure that they clash. Produced by Gareth Jones (Liars, Wire), Beat Pyramid is a ferociously ambitious debut that finds this band jacked up, keeping things wound tight and quaint for the whole trip. Singer Jack Barnett is intense in his role, spewing acute diction to swim with the mélange of post-punk rhythms and guitar stabs, ambient flirtations and jagged electro, which is all framed with a life or death urgency. The kinetic energy in this band is incredible, as they never stop thinking about which direction to move in. "Swords of Truth” is grime filtered through a detuned channel of art-punk, constantly shape shifting, and "Infinity Ytinifni” is almost indescribable in its terse schizophrenia. Beat Pyramid’s unrelenting schism may not work for everybody — it can get a little frantic and overexcited in its endeavours — but this is the stuff that prevents music from falling into a soulless void. I hope These New Puritans think even bigger and bolder next time around because the chaos is appreciated.