After much public pressure, the band formerly known as Viet Cong changed their name to Preoccupations, and now they have revealed plans for their first album under the new name. Preoccupations will arrive on September 16 through Flemish Eye/Jagjaguwar.
It marks the follow-up to the band's 2015 Polaris Music Prize shortlisted debut effort Viet Cong, and arose from a volatile time in the personal lives of the group members Matt Flegel, Danny Christiansen, Scott Munro and Mike Wallace. Relationships ended, multiple band members moved away from their former home base of Calgary, and, you know, the whole name debacle.
Despite the chaos and lack of a central theme, producer Graham Walsh helped the band craft a new record that, according to a press release, "bears the visceral, personal sound of holding onto some steadiness in the midst of changing everything."
Flegel addressed the blunt, un-euphemistic song titles found on the record, which are listed in full below. "'Monotony' is a dead end job; 'Anxiety' is changing as a band," he said. "'Memory' is watching someone lose their mind; 'Fever' is comforting someone. It's all drawing from very specific things."
In anticipation of the new full-length under the new name, the band have shared a brand new track. Titled "Anxiety," the ominous post-punk offering has been given the video treatment by director David Yoonha Park. It was filmed primarily in Ymir, BC, and captures scenes depicting childhood fears and phobias.
Scroll past the tracklisting and the band's recently expanded world tour, which includes several dates here in Canada.
Preoccupations:
1. Anxiety
2. Monotony
3. Zodiac
4. Memory
5. Degraded
6. Sense
7. Forbidden
8. Stimulation
9. Fever
Tour dates:
06/16 Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
06/17 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands - Best Kept Secret Festival
06/18 Brussels, Belgium - Out Loud Beursschouwburg
06/22 London, England - Shacklewell Arms
06/23 London, England - Old Blue Last
06/28 Paris, France - Olympic Cafe
06/30 Berlin, Germany - Urban Spree
07/02 Tullamore, Ireland - Castlepalooza
07/09 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest
08/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall *
08/22 Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory *
08/24 El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls *
08/28 Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest
08/29 Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery *
08/30 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades *
09/01-02 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
09/28 Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
10/01 Calgary, AC - Mac Hall Ballroom ^
10/03 Winnipeg, MB - WECC ^
10/04 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe ^
10/05 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall ^
10/07 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom ^
10/08 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall ^
10/11 Montreal, QC - Virgin Mobile Corona Theater ^
10/12 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair ^
10/14 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw ^
10/15 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church ^
10/16 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel ^
10/18 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade ^
10/19 New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa ^
10/21 Austin, TX - The MohawK ^
10/25 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar ^
10/26 San Diego - The Irenic ^
10/28 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy ^
10/29 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
11/02 Seattle, WA - Neumos ^
11/05 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
11/06 Manchester, England - Gorilla
11/07 London, England - Oval Space
11/08 Bristol, England - Exchange
11/09 Brighton, England - Haunt
11/10 Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who Festival
11/12 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
11/14 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
11/15 Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
11/18 Metz, France - Musiques Volantes Festival
11/21 Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
11/22 Zurich, Switzerland - Klaus
11/23 Milan, Italy - Magnolia
11/24 Rome, Italy - Quirinetta
11/25 Bologna, Italy - Locomotiv
11/26 Neuchâtel, Switzerland - Suprette Festival
11/28 Cologne, Germany - Luxor
^ with Methyl Ethel
* with Explosions in the Sky
It marks the follow-up to the band's 2015 Polaris Music Prize shortlisted debut effort Viet Cong, and arose from a volatile time in the personal lives of the group members Matt Flegel, Danny Christiansen, Scott Munro and Mike Wallace. Relationships ended, multiple band members moved away from their former home base of Calgary, and, you know, the whole name debacle.
Despite the chaos and lack of a central theme, producer Graham Walsh helped the band craft a new record that, according to a press release, "bears the visceral, personal sound of holding onto some steadiness in the midst of changing everything."
Flegel addressed the blunt, un-euphemistic song titles found on the record, which are listed in full below. "'Monotony' is a dead end job; 'Anxiety' is changing as a band," he said. "'Memory' is watching someone lose their mind; 'Fever' is comforting someone. It's all drawing from very specific things."
In anticipation of the new full-length under the new name, the band have shared a brand new track. Titled "Anxiety," the ominous post-punk offering has been given the video treatment by director David Yoonha Park. It was filmed primarily in Ymir, BC, and captures scenes depicting childhood fears and phobias.
Scroll past the tracklisting and the band's recently expanded world tour, which includes several dates here in Canada.
Preoccupations:
1. Anxiety
2. Monotony
3. Zodiac
4. Memory
5. Degraded
6. Sense
7. Forbidden
8. Stimulation
9. Fever
Tour dates:
06/16 Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
06/17 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands - Best Kept Secret Festival
06/18 Brussels, Belgium - Out Loud Beursschouwburg
06/22 London, England - Shacklewell Arms
06/23 London, England - Old Blue Last
06/28 Paris, France - Olympic Cafe
06/30 Berlin, Germany - Urban Spree
07/02 Tullamore, Ireland - Castlepalooza
07/09 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest
08/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall *
08/22 Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory *
08/24 El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls *
08/28 Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest
08/29 Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery *
08/30 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades *
09/01-02 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
09/28 Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
10/01 Calgary, AC - Mac Hall Ballroom ^
10/03 Winnipeg, MB - WECC ^
10/04 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe ^
10/05 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall ^
10/07 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom ^
10/08 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall ^
10/11 Montreal, QC - Virgin Mobile Corona Theater ^
10/12 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair ^
10/14 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw ^
10/15 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church ^
10/16 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel ^
10/18 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade ^
10/19 New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa ^
10/21 Austin, TX - The MohawK ^
10/25 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar ^
10/26 San Diego - The Irenic ^
10/28 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy ^
10/29 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
11/02 Seattle, WA - Neumos ^
11/05 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
11/06 Manchester, England - Gorilla
11/07 London, England - Oval Space
11/08 Bristol, England - Exchange
11/09 Brighton, England - Haunt
11/10 Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who Festival
11/12 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
11/14 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
11/15 Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
11/18 Metz, France - Musiques Volantes Festival
11/21 Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
11/22 Zurich, Switzerland - Klaus
11/23 Milan, Italy - Magnolia
11/24 Rome, Italy - Quirinetta
11/25 Bologna, Italy - Locomotiv
11/26 Neuchâtel, Switzerland - Suprette Festival
11/28 Cologne, Germany - Luxor
^ with Methyl Ethel
* with Explosions in the Sky