Back in 2007, when These New Puritans first arrived on the scene, we were stoked on their existence because they seemed to be bent on making a tighter, more cohesive version of the Fall, and we’d always thought that would be a really, really good idea (love you Mark E., but sometimes you just want a tune, you know?). This time around, with the release of the band’s sophomore album, Hidden (released March 2 on Domino US), we’re excited because it seems like they’re not trying to do anything but create the most original, thought-provoking, and downright freaky bunch of songs released in 2010–and so far, they’re succeeding in their noble goal. It took us a good five listens to decide if we even liked Hidden or not, but in the end we decided we were down with the rattling chains, taiko drums, demonic children’s choirs, downpitched vocals, haunting synths, etc, etc. You’ll get the general idea.

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Photo by Harley Weir