New Brutalism is a minimal rock quartet formed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1998. The band comprises vocalist Shane Elliott, guitarist/vocalist Matt Hall, bassist/vocalist David Basford, and drummer Carey Balch.
Rock classic structured single "089" is the final song on Requiescat Record, their newest EP. The three-track release — “088,” “087” and “089,” in keeping with their strict numerical naming convention — was recorded in 2021 by the late, great Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, and mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service in 2025. It will arrive September 12, 2025 with the same tracklist on both sides of 45rpm, 12-inch 180g HQ vinyl — via Computer Students™.
Named after a defunct and often derided architectural movement, New Brutalism was born out of a shared musical vision between Hall and Balch, who first connected in 1996. For both, “less is more” became a guiding principle — channeled through an unwaveringly raw, direct, and honest approach to sound.
Elliott was the next to join, followed by bassist Sonny Simpson and Basford on second guitar. After Elliott moved to Chicago and Simpson left the band as well, Basford picked up the bass — solidifying a lineup that lasted from 1998 to 2021. In 2021, Elliott reunited with the band he helped form — this time on vocals.
Out of partly sound, partly aesthetic, mainly a thirst to build, New Brutalism performs on aluminum instruments built by the band members. They chose the material because itʼs lighter than steel, more consistent than wood, and easy to machine. Above all, itʼs precise — and thereby, can produce precise music.
In 2021, New Brutalism entered Electrical Audio to record Requiescat Record. Named after a Latin term meaning a prayer for the repose of a dead person, Requiescat Record retroactively became a dedication to Steve Albiniʼs memory.
Shattered and kinetic, forged by time and tragedy, with god-given sonic quality, Requiescat Record may acknowledge the dead, but this music feels ever so alive.