PREOCCUPATIONS. That's bassist and frontman Matt Flegel, guitarist Danny Christiansen, multi-instrumentalist Scott Munro and drummer Mike Wallace, from Calgary in Canada. In mid-April 2016, the four announced that from now on they would no longer be called VIET CONG, after the wind blew against them mightily due to the controversial band name, especially in North America, incl. concert cancellations.
In this difficult situation, the band recorded their new album. The self-titled "Preoccupations" was released on September 19, 2016 on Jagjaguwar/Cargo and has become a small masterpiece, filled to the brim with dark hooks and abysmal arrangements. As "blast of cold air in a bruning hot place" they themselves describe the climatic interference under which the album was created, but this only gives an approximate idea of the inherent tension and latent despair that underlies Preoccupations.
Preoccupations is one of the post-punk masterpieces of 2016, and the Preoccupations are arguably one of the best bands to adequately deliver such a masterpiece (even outside of the studio). This is also evidenced by top rankings on many annual charts last year. (#19 Spex readers, #17 Spex editors, #28 Musikexpress, #24 Intro)
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