I’m not gonna lie, These New Puritans are scratching an itch. One I never realized I had until I heard their debut Beat Pyramid a few weeks ago and it suddenly stopped bothering me…this venn-diagram-intersection-shaped gap between dub, electronic, dancehall, post-punk, balls-out indie rock, hip-hop and a dozen other genres of music.

This was originally going to be a Sound Off! piece, with an interview exclusive to us. But instead, as their show this Thursday is in DC at DC9, I decided to cover this show with BYT. So check out what I’ve got to say about TNPS here along with my interview with lead singer/mastermind Jack Barnett.

And definitely consider making the trek with me to DC9 for the show, opened by another favorite around the A.S. offices, DC’s own Imperial China.

Stick around here for this download of the track “Elvis” off their debut.

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MP3: These New Puritans – Elvis

“That’s the way it is all through the States,” says Duffy Driediger, vocalist/guitarist of Ladyhawk, his irritation only slightly tempered by resignation after playing to an audience of around a dozen at Washington’s DC9 on May 11.

Dutifully, the four-piece had gone in front of the nearly empty room and laid down a rock solid barrage of gritty yet hook-filled numbers from their second full-length on Jagjaguwar, Shots, capped with the anthemic “The Dugout” from their self-titled debut, which the band (and they’re right) seems to hold out as a striking gem inexplicably languishing in the gravel bed of modern rock. A lot like Ladyhawk itself.
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