These New Puritans are an English band from

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, England. It consists mainly of Jack Barnett (principal songwriter, vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist) and his twin brother George Barnett (drums, electronics, producer, artwork). Multi-instrumentalist Thomas Hein was an active member of TNP between 2006 and 2016; keyboardist Sophie Sleigh-Johnson was active between 2006 and 2010. Portuguese fado and jazz singer Elisa Rodrigues joined as a vocalist between 2012 and 2015. They have recorded five studio albums: '' Beat Pyramid'' (2008), '' Hidden'' (2010), '' Field of Reeds'' (2013), '' Inside the Rose'' (2019) and ''Crooked Wing'' (2025). The band's music has been described as "blurring the distinction between rock, classical, electronic and experimental" and as "strikingly modern yet simultaneously timeless."

History

Formation and early years

The Barnett brothers grew up in the

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

town of Southend-on-Sea. Their father was a builder and their mother was an art teacher. George and Jack made music together as children with "karaoke microphones, old bongos and guitars too large for their tiny hands", later focusing on

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

under the name Mick the Asbestos. They formed the band together with childhood friend Tom Hein, who grew up in nearby

Billericay Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, east of the City of London. The town was founded in the 13th century by the Stratford Langthorne Abbey, Abbot of West Ham, ...

. In a 2008 interview, Jack Barnett said that

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

acts

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

, especially member

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name RZA ( ) or the RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the '' de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having pro ...

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

and

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

influenced the first album ''Beat Pyramid''. Barnett also stated that his inspirations included the electronic music of

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer and DJ active in electronic music since 1988. His idiosyncratic work has drawn on many styles, including techno, ambient music, ambi ...

and the cartoon series ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

,'' though he later suggested this was not serious. TNP have been described as "falling in the tradition of British outliers that also includes

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is an English retired musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, '' The Party's Over'' (198 ...

Bark Psychosis Bark Psychosis is an English post-rock band/musical project from east London formed in 1986. They are one of the bands that Simon Reynolds cited when coining "post-rock" as a musical style in 1994, and are thus considered one of the key bands d ...

and Scott Walker." Although unusual for a rock group, the band often incorporates the same section of music into different songs as

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''Hidden''

Before their second album ''Hidden'' was released, Barnett revealed that he had been writing music for

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

and stated that the aim was for a final product where "

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 reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

meets

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

". He taught himself musical notation to score the brass and woodwind elements of the album. In a 2010 interview with Jack Barnett,

Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley (born 26 March 1957) is a British music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983, and has since written for a wide range of publications and written his own books. He was a co-founder of the reco ...

described These New Puritans' new material on ''Hidden'' as "very 1970, but also quite 1610, 1950, 1979, 1989, 2005 and 2070". When performing live during the Hidden era they were often accompanied by a five-piece brass-woodwind ensemble. In 2010 they performed a series of full live performances of ''Hidden'' (featuring a brass-woodwind ensemble,

Taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...

drums, children's choir, three vibraphonists and live Foley techniques) entitled ''Hidden Live'', at venues such as the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

(featuring the

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 ...

), the

Pompidou Centre The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...

and

Berghain Berghain () is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station.

. In 2010 the song "We Want War" featured on the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood soundtrack. In October 2020, the band announced a reissue of the album titled ''Hidden MXX' out 4 December via

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

, which included unreleased songs from the original recording sessions as well as two live recordings. The release was made available on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

''Field of Reeds''

In a May 2010 interview with C.B.Liddell, Jack Barnett revealed that he was interested in

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

n music and that he anticipated that the next TNPS album would be "quieter." Towards the end of 2012 the band remixed "Mutual Core" by

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

, which featured on the remix album '' Bastards''. In June 2013, they released their third album, '' Field of Reeds'', which featured jazz singer Elisa Rodrigues. The video clip for the single Organ Eternal was directed by Willy Vanderperre and featured the acclaimed Belgian actress Line Pillet. Musically ''Field of Reeds'' was described as "uncategorizable" and as drawing heavily on avant-garde classical composition. For the "Fragment Two" video, they reunited with Daniel Askill, who'd previously directed "We Want War". Following ''Field of Reeds'', TNP moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and set up in a dilapidated old

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

broadcasting studio in the industrial suburbs. In 2015 Jack collaborated in the studio with

Robert Del Naja Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective The Wild Bunch (sound system), the Wild Bunch, and later as ...

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

''Inside the Rose''

These New Puritans returned in November 2018 with the song, "Into the Fire", which was released digitally and as a limited edition flame-coloured 7" single. This was followed in January 2019 by an erotic, gender-blurring video for "Inside the Rose", made in collaboration with photographer Harley Weir, and the announcement of a new album of the same name. Recorded in Essex, London and Berlin, and mixed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, ''Inside the Rose'' was described as "another creative reinvention" and as their most direct and accessible music yet. The album's release was marked with a "

happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow in 1959 to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happening" i ...

" event at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

, involving a stage set constructed out of slashed silk hung from scaffolding, designed by George Barnett and artist Freya Don. The support act was performance artist Soojin Chang. After the release of ''Inside the Rose'' it was announced that Thomas Hein had departed the group, due to his academic commitments in studying

computational neuroscience Computational neuroscience (also known as theoretical neuroscience or mathematical neuroscience) is a branch of neuroscience which employs mathematics, computer science, theoretical analysis and abstractions of the brain to understand th ...

. In February 2020, they released ''The Cut (2016–2019)'', a so-called 'sister album' to ''Inside the Rose'', containing new music begun during the album sessions, orchestral interludes and reworkings, and remixes. It was made available via a limited edition CD, each copy containing hand-cut silk artwork. This was followed by The Blue Door, their third performance at the Barbican Centre in London, which featured large-scale video projections and two scaffold-tower installations draped in gauze, with a band augmented by sopranos, brass, percussion and special guests. In May 2020 during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

epidemic, TNP produced two

Jigsaw puzzle A jigsaw puzzle (with context, sometimes just jigsaw or just puzzle) is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often irregularly shaped interlocking and mosaicked pieces. Typically each piece has a portion of a picture, which is comple ...

s in collaboration with Harley Weir. All profits from the project were donated to the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

. Once completed, the puzzles displayed codewords which led to a download of a new 4-track EP.

''Crooked Wing''

On 11 March 2025, the band announced their fifth studio album, ''Crooked Wing'', would be released on 23 May 2025 via

Domino Recording Company Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called ...

. Two tracks, "Industrial Love Song" (featuring

Caroline Polachek Caroline Elizabeth Polachek (born June 20, 1985) is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late- ...

) and "Bells", accompanied the announcement. A video for "Industrial Love Song", directed by longtime collaborator Harley Weir, was also released. The album has been widely acclaimed.

Projects

''TNPS'' worked with designer

Hedi Slimane Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he was the creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the creative director for Yves Saint La ...

and recorded the song "Navigate, Navigate" for the ''

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

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 The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...

in Paris for the after-show of the Stage of the Art. In 2013 Jack Barnett contributed to the

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorte ...

album '' I Am the Last of All the Field That Fell: A Channel'' alongside

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

and

Anohni Anohni Hegarty (formerly Antony Hegarty), styled as ANOHNI, is an American singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She has presented solo work and as the lead singer of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons. ...

. The next year, TNP soundtracked the first authorised theatrical production of

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

's novel ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hier ...

''. In 2017 they were commissioned to write a piece to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence from the British Empire. The band collaborated again with

for the launch of the new Celine campaign in February 2021, with music released under the artist name THE LOOM soundtracking the brand's new collection launch.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Beat Pyramid'' (2008) No. 188 UK * '' Hidden'' (2010) No. 100 UK; No. 10 UK Indie * '' Field of Reeds'' (2013) No. 90 UK; No. 17 UK Indie * '' Inside the Rose'' (2019) * ''Crooked Wing'' (2025)

Live albums

* ''EXPANDED (Live at the Barbican)'' (2014)

Compilation albums

* ''The Cut (2016–2019)'' (2020)

Singles and EPs

* " Now Pluvial" (30 October 2006) – 7" * "Navigate, Navigate" (21 May 2007) – 12"/ Digital download * "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) *"White Chords" (2010) *"Fragment Two" (2013) – CD, Single, Promo *"Organ Eternal" (2013) – CD, Single, Promo *"V (Island Song)" (2013) – CD, Single, Promo *"Magnetic Field" (2013) – 12", Ltd, Num *"Into the Fire" (2018) - 7"

Music videos

* Elvis (2008) * Swords of Truth (2008) * We Want War (2010) * Attack Music (2010) * Hologram (2010) * Fragment Two (2012) * Organ Eternal (2013) * V (Island Song) (2013) * Inside the Rose (2019) * Where the Trees Are on Fire (2019) * Six (2019) * Beyond Black Suns (2019) * Industrial Love Song (2025)

Contributions to other works

These New Puritans have contributed songs to the following CD compilations: * "Chamber" – ''Digital Penetration'' (September 2006) * "I Want to Be

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

" – ''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) * Music from Aldous Huxley's ''Brave New World'' – ''Incidental: Music for the Stage'' (Filmtrax, October 2021)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control English art rock groups Musical groups established in 2006 Music in Southend-on-Sea Infectious Music artists English post-rock groups