Inside the Rose cover

Inside the Rose

Released

Nothing special about being a hybrid or open-minded, but These New Puritans really push the limits on “Where in the world do we file this one?” In one song, I heard bits of Nick Cave, Prefab Sprout, Talk Talk, Modern English, and The The. The Barnett brothers, Jack and George, don’t much like loud guitars, but they like everything else. This has the well-executed feeling of a Scott Walker album, with slightly less portentous outcomes. What they remind me most of is the spate of dark Eighties English albums that had just the right levels of melancholy and motion. A little sad but not suicidal, and plenty of musical detail.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Recommended by

Suggestions
Instant Evening cover

Instant Evening

Zoos of Berlin
Debut cover

Debut

Björk
James Blake cover

James Blake

James Blake
Motomami cover

Motomami

Rosalía
Aerial cover

Aerial

Kate Bush
Loud City Song cover

Loud City Song

Julia Holter
Two Dancers cover

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts
For You cover

For You

Little Dragon, Yukimi
Earth Worship cover

Earth Worship

Rubblebucket
Impersonator cover

Impersonator

Majical Cloudz