Another well-chosen but overlooked group reconvening with a release on Computer Students is Knoxville, Tennessee’s New Brutalism who, as the name may suggest, purvey a sharp modern high-intensity take on punk rock that melds a kind of Chicago dynamism with LA ire. Having originally formed in 1996, they had a hiatus for some time as they concentrated on other projects, amongst which was the manufacture of aluminium instruments and it is the sharp, precise tone of these that sets these songs apart.
Where the songs become more interesting is when they stop and shake like a dog, briefly fizzing then reassembling and continuing the attack. The aluminium instruments offer a cold clarity, the guitar like clashing swords while the drums on “087” sound like somebody trying to beat their way out of a room. The flick of the guitar’s tail covers for the more muffled vocals, while the rhythm section provides some serious momentum. Even the bass sounds taut and dangerous, and you have the feeling that thirty years has not mellowed these guys in any way; all the sharp edges remain and there is still frustration to work our of their systems.
New Brutalism are a real attack force, and the voice is particularly irate on “088” as the guitar slices and the bass pummels. They even throw in a guitar solo, which grates against the hair-raising descending bass run and then it is over as quickly as it started. Requiescat Record is a perfect taster of another rediscovered group plying a harsh, awkward trade that is unrepentant in its single-minded attack. It looks lovely in the usual Computer Students packaging and is well worth discovering.-Mr Olivetti-
