these new puritans - beat pyramid

If we were in the middle of some dystopian future, These New Puritans would be our soundtrack. Distant and dispassionate, TNP incorporate technology’s darker side into post-punk’s already moody themes. Though songs are grounded in the genre’s intricate, rhythmically-centered contest between guitar and drums, they diverge from the telos and containment structuring the genre. Its more purposeful exchanges are constantly usurped by futuristic voids, grounded only by electronic drums and isolated vocals. Even the more familiar elements are constantly shifting and many songs lack a landing strip to soothe worried listeners. But it is precisely this lack of familiarity that makes the music so contemporary and innovative. At its best, the group strays from traditionally propulsive tempos and crafts a new dynamic.

“Elvis” is the album’s most listener friendly track; opening to loosely strung bass chords and forceful, spoken vocals, its chorus of shuffling drums and synthesizer drones sound like a mid-tempo version of Bloc Party. ‘Numerology (AKA Numbers)” strength is in the taut determined rhythms of its verse, its angular guitars and forcefully abrupt vocals puncturing the authority of the infrequently shuffling drums. “Navigate-Colours” opens with an inventive build of synthetic elements almost identical to an orchestra warming up, but its gritty UK pop feels too familiar and lead singer bennn lacks the vocal skill the song’s aesthetic requires. “4” is frighteningly experimental and disorienting, a circling rhythm is the only constant to an unrelenting barrage of synthetic bass drones, creepy electronic movements, multiple drum variations, and the cold loop of angular guitars. “Swords of Truth” opens with a warped horn introduction, which trades hands with nihilistic guitar chords as the only melodic components of a cold and distant drum and vocal foundation. Other songs drift toward more experimental or more traditional UK Rock, but These New Puritans are at their best when navigating the cold and disorienting world of rhythm and void.