These New Puritans - 'Elvis'

What’s with ‘Elvis’? Sure, These New Puritans are far cooler than those pesky scouting chaps but still, Elvis… w-hut? You hear TNP’s rendition and it isn’t hard to visualise the Young Knives cutting some ice with Chris Cunningham. The video for ‘Elvis’ does little to absolve such hallucinations since it appears purged straight from Cunningham’s ‘Rubber Johnny’ exploits; uncomfortably intense close ups and CGI wrigglies circulating under the dermis.

‘Chamber’ kicked the shit outta the ‘Digital Penetration’ compilation (surely making the commute to the University of East London that much pleasurable for Shoreditch trendies, whilst wishing to be clothed in Hedi Slimane, probably) but there’s just summat about ‘Elvis’ (their so called pop song) which makes it seem like TNP are trying to be like every other guitar band doing the rounds; and trust us, this they are not. Whilst 'Elvis' may support Interpolesque basslines, the mundane rants about ‘Being watched by experts’ doesn’t so much put you in George Orwell terrain as it makes you ask, where’s the flow daddy-o? Stuffed between two corking tracks on an album, it’s forgivable, but on its own as a ‘toon’ – it just doesn’t work, not really.

Released 21/01/08 on Angular Records.