These New Puritans
Encyclopedia
These New Puritans are a British Art Rock
band from the Southend-on-Sea
area. The group consists of Jack Barnett (songwriter, producer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist), his twin brother George Barnett
(drums, loops), Thomas Hein (bass, sampler, keyboards, drums), and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson (keyboards, sampler). They have recorded two albums, Beat Pyramid
, released in 2008, and Hidden
, released in 2010.
ensemble Wu-Tang Clan
, especially member RZA
, influenced the first album Beat Pyramid. Other inspirations include the electronic music
of Aphex Twin
and the cartoon series The Smurfs
. At the time, Artrocker described These New Puritans as sounding like "Sheffield and Berlin synths, '90s alt rock Sonic Youth
and Yo La Tengo
drones
, Underworld
beats; and all in the most contemporary of contexts". Although unusual for a rock group, the band often incorporates the same section of music into different songs as refrain
s.
Before second album Hidden was released, Jack Barnett revealed that he had been writing music for bassoon
and stated that the aim was for a final product where "dancehall
meets Steve Reich
". In a 2010 interview with Barnett, Paul Morley
described These New Puritans new material as "very 1970, but also quite 1610, 1950, 1979, 1989, 2005 and 2070". When performing live they are sometimes accompanied by a five-piece brass-woodwind ensemble. In a May 2010 interview with C.B.Liddell, Jack Barnett revealed that he is now interested in Melanesia
n music and anticipates that the next TNPS album will be "quieter." In August 2010 they announced a series of full live performances of Hidden, entitled Hidden Live, at venues such as the Barbican Centre
(featuring the Britten Sinfonia
), the Pompidou Centre and Berghain
.
Ubisoft
featured music from their song Three Thousand in a commercial for Assassin's Creed Revelations.
, British Sea Power
, The Kills
, Blood Red Shoes
, Klaxons
, and The xx
.
TNPS worked with designer Hedi Slimane
and recorded the song "Navigate, Navigate" for the Dior
Homme Hiver 2007 show. Both the music and the collection received positive reviews. The band members also took part in an art/dance performance at the Palais de Tokyo
in Paris for the after-show of the Stage of the Art.
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band from the Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
area. The group consists of Jack Barnett (songwriter, producer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist), his twin brother George Barnett
George Barnett (Musician and Model)
George Barnett is an English Musician and Model. Drummer the in band These New Puritans.-Professional life:At 18 he notably worked for designer and photographer Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme in Paris from 2006-2007, after a chance meeting with Hedi having only attended university for a few weeks...
(drums, loops), Thomas Hein (bass, sampler, keyboards, drums), and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson (keyboards, sampler). They have recorded two albums, Beat Pyramid
Beat Pyramid
- Personnel :Band* Jack Barnett – vocals, guitar, laptop* Thomas Hein – bass guitar, sampler, MIDI* Sophie Sleigh-Johnson – keyboards* George Barnett – drums, loops, contact micsAdditional musicians...
, released in 2008, and Hidden
Hidden (album)
Hidden is the second studio album by British art rock band These New Puritans. Featuring a wider sonic palette than previous work and sections played by a Czech orchestra, it was produced by frontman Jack Barnett and former Bark Psychosis leader Graham Sutton during 2009...
, released in 2010.
Sound
In a 2008 interview, Jack Barnett said that hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
ensemble Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, especially member RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
, influenced the first album Beat Pyramid. Other inspirations include the electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
of Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
and the cartoon series The Smurfs
The Smurfs
The Smurfs is a comic and television franchise centred on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo on October 23, 1958...
. At the time, Artrocker described These New Puritans as sounding like "Sheffield and Berlin synths, '90s alt rock Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
drones
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
, Underworld
Underworld (band)
Underworld are a British electronic group, and principal name under which duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have recorded together since 1980.- Early years: 1979–1986 :...
beats; and all in the most contemporary of contexts". Although unusual for a rock group, the band often incorporates the same section of music into different songs as refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
s.
Before second album Hidden was released, Jack Barnett revealed that he had been writing music for bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
and stated that the aim was for a final product where "dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
meets Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
". In a 2010 interview with Barnett, Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
described These New Puritans new material as "very 1970, but also quite 1610, 1950, 1979, 1989, 2005 and 2070". When performing live they are sometimes accompanied by a five-piece brass-woodwind ensemble. In a May 2010 interview with C.B.Liddell, Jack Barnett revealed that he is now interested in Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
n music and anticipates that the next TNPS album will be "quieter." In August 2010 they announced a series of full live performances of Hidden, entitled Hidden Live, at venues such as the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
(featuring the Britten Sinfonia
Britten Sinfonia
Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the East of England. It is a flexible ensemble composed of...
), the Pompidou Centre and Berghain
Berghain
Berghain is a Berlin nightclub, named after its location on the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Philip Sherburne described it in 2007 as "quite possibly the current world capital of techno, much as E-Werk or Tresor were in their respective heydays." -Overview:The club is located in a...
.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
featured music from their song Three Thousand in a commercial for Assassin's Creed Revelations.
Projects
Along with other Southend artists, These New Puritans played at the Junk Club and Dirty Heart's Club, responsible for popularising the local music scene. The band has had support slots for Crystal CastlesCrystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
, British Sea Power
British Sea Power
British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...
, The Kills
The Kills
The Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
, Blood Red Shoes
Blood Red Shoes
Blood Red Shoes are an indie rock duo from Brighton, England. They have released two full-length albums, Box of Secrets and Fire Like This, plus a slew of early singles on limited 7" vinyl pressings.-Formation:...
, Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
, and The xx
The xx
The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
.
TNPS worked with designer Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer of Tunisian, Italian-Brazilian origins. He studied political sciences , and Art History at the École du Louvre, and was also educated as a tailor...
and recorded the song "Navigate, Navigate" for the Dior
Dior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
Homme Hiver 2007 show. Both the music and the collection received positive reviews. The band members also took part in an art/dance performance at the Palais de Tokyo
Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, near the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs the City of Paris and hosts the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris...
in Paris for the after-show of the Stage of the Art.
Albums
- Beat PyramidBeat Pyramid- Personnel :Band* Jack Barnett – vocals, guitar, laptop* Thomas Hein – bass guitar, sampler, MIDI* Sophie Sleigh-Johnson – keyboards* George Barnett – drums, loops, contact micsAdditional musicians...
(2008) #188 UK - HiddenHidden (album)Hidden is the second studio album by British art rock band These New Puritans. Featuring a wider sonic palette than previous work and sections played by a Czech orchestra, it was produced by frontman Jack Barnett and former Bark Psychosis leader Graham Sutton during 2009...
(2010) #100 UK; #10 UK Indie
Singles/EPs
- "Now PluvialNow PluvialNow Pluvial is an EP released in October 2006 by the British band These New Puritans. It was released on Angular Records and the catalogue number is ARC016. The EP was a self distributed limited edition of 500 numbered copies....
" (30 October 2006) – 7"Gramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... - "Navigate, Navigate" (21 May 2007) – 12"/Digital downloadMusic downloadA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
- "Numbers"/"Colours" (5 November 2007) – 7"
- "Elvis" (21 January 2008) – 7"/CD
- "Swords of Truth" (5 May 2008) – 7"/12"/Digital Download
- "We Want War" (11 January 2010) – 10"/Digital Download
- "Attack Music" (12 April 2010) – Digital Download
- "Hologram" (26 July 2010)
Compilations
These New Puritans have contributed songs to the following CD compilations:- "Chamber" – Digital Penetration (September 2006)
- "I Want to Be Tracey EminTracey EminTracey Karima Emin RA is a British artist of English and Turkish Cypriot origin. She is part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs ....
" – Future Love Songs (December 2006) - "Elvis" (demo) – Dance Floor Distortion (December 2006)
- "Colours" – 2000 Trees: Cider Smiles Vol. 1 (Hide and Seek Records, June 2008)