Britpop icons Blur are back with a pair of new songs. One of those is the searing, electronic 'The Puritan.'

The track has the classic Blur combination of upbeat, catchy instrumentalism and intelligent, vitriolic lyrics regarding the state of the world. Now 44, frontman Damon Albarn remains mightily pissed about consumerism, giving a well-mannered rant about institutionalization, thumb-sucking, and "the joy of people spirited away so merrily." For this rancorous singer, those are "all the things that fashion gives you."

Graham Coxon's bass lifts the track with fuzzed-out buoyancy, among drum machines, acoustic guitar strumming and the crush of a synths. The songwriting here is endlessly clever: lots of moving pieces coalesce into the chorus, closed out with gang of 'la la las,' all sneering and silly.

The song premiered via Twitter at 3PM yesterday and is already available on iTunes. The Londoners will be headlining a concert in honor of their hometown Summer Olympics on August 12.

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Listen to Blur, 'The Puritan'

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