Hidden
\"The title of These New Puritans’ debut album, *Beat Pyramid*, really should have been saved for their second — *Hidden*, a towering testament to the power of diamond-edged drums, sinister synths, and 13-piece orchestras. You heard that last part right: *13-piece orchestras*. Rather than rely on the proven Fall/Gang of Four formula of their last album, frontman Jack Barnett studied music notation and helped his merry band of miscreants dive right into a post-everything opus that has as much to do with neo-classical music as it does with skeletal strains of dubstep, electro and apocalyptic rock. All of which seem to make perfect sense, from the unsheathed swords and slammed doors of “Attack Music” to the regal horns and heaven-sent choruses of “We Want War.” The percussion is absolutely *punishing* throughout, too. In fact, you might run for cover well before the last track (\"\"5\"\") brings the curtain down on us all. \"
UK post-punk revivalists tear up their own rulebook and start from scratch on this ambitious, darkly experimental second album.
These New Puritans make songs that are spastic, harsh, and urgent, founded on coats of electronics and repetitive, vague, and half-spoken vocals from frontman Jack Barnett.
<strong>The ones we missed:</strong> Hidden is wintry labyrinth. <strong>Dorian Lynskey</strong> is thrilled
These New Puritans' Hidden is a magically bleak, fantastically original record. Rating: * * * * *