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indie rock, New Video, post-punk, Video, Video Review Video
by William Ruben HelmsFebruary 15, 201808:30February 15, 2018

New Video: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Return with Murky and Hallucinogenic Visuals for Tense, Industrial-like Single “Antidote”

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of years, you’ve likely come across a number of posts on the Canadian post punk act  Preoccupations, and as you may recall, the band which is comprised of Matt Flegel (bass, vocals), Mike Wallace (drums), Scott Munro (guitar) and Daniel Christiansen (guitar), initially formed under the highly controversial name Viet Cong. And as a result, the members of the Canadian post punk act found themselves in the middle of a furious and tumultuous debate centered around appropriation — and appropriating terms, names and symbols associated with historical groups and actions that evoke the horrors of despotism, fascism, war and genocide. Ultimately, the band decided it was best to change their name before the release of their highly-anticipated sophomore album.

Interestingly, when the members of Preoccupations reconvened to write the material, that would comprise their self-titled, sophomore album, each individual member of the band found themselves in an unsteady and uncertain position — at the the time, they all relocated to different cities across North America, which made their long-established creative process of writing material while on the road extremely difficult and impractical. Along with that, several members of the band had long-term relationships end, as they were about to write the album. Adding to a growing sense of uncertainty, the band went into the writing sessions without having a central idea or theme to consider or help guide them, making the sessions akin to a collectively blind leap of faith. The album thematically wound up drawing from very specific things — the anxiety, despair and regret that keeps most people up at night. Album singles like “Anxiety,” simultaneously focused on both the natural and forced changes placed upon the members of the band, but also managed to capture the confusing push and pull of most human relationships while “Degraded” one the album’s most straightforward and hook-laden songs was full of bilious accusation and recrimination. The album’s expansive, third single “Memory” focused on the weight of the past, and how it impacts every single relationship and aspect of our lives.

Building upon a growing reputation for crafting dark and moody post punk, centered around themes of creation, destruction, futility, the Canadian post-punk band’s third, full-length album New Material is slated for March 23, 2018 release through Jagjaguwar Records, and the album, which finds the band recording the album themselves and enlisting the assistance of Justin Meldal-Johnson on mixing duties is as the band’s frontman Matt Flegel puts it in press notes, “an ode to depression. To depression and self-sabotage, and looking inward at yourself with extreme hatred.” Much like their previous album, the band went into the process without much written or demoed — and it was arguably the most collaborative writing sessions that they’ve ever had with the band describing the process as being architectural, with the members of the band building some ideas up, while others were torn down to the support beams. Although they didn’t initially know what the songs were about, they had resolved for the material to show and not explicitly tell.

Reportedly, the writing and recording sessions led to a reckoning for Flegel.  “Finishing ‘Espionage’ was when I realized. I looked at the rest of the lyrics and realized the magnitude of what was wrong,” says Flegel. To that end, it’s interesting that “Espionage,” the murky and angular Manchester/Joy Division-like single is the first single off New Material — and in some way, the song evokes a narrator, who has finally become aware of his disturbing penchant for self-sabotage in every aspect of his life — all while arguably been one of the most danceable songs they’ve written to date. New Material‘s second and latest single “Antidote” continues in a similar vein as its predecessor as it draws from Factory Records‘ heyday, as the song features a propulsive, industrial clang and clatter-like rhythm paired with slashing and angular guitar and bass lines. And although it conjures up a sweaty anxiety, the song as Flegel explains in press notes “is about humans forgetting that we’re apes. It’s about trying to make sense out of something that we’d be better off not trying to make sense of. It’s about having infinite knowledge at our fingertips, but still making all the wrong choices over and over. It’s about trying to find a moment in your day where you can take a breath and remember that we’re basically all just animals bumbling around.”

Directed by Michael Wallace and Evan Pearce, the recently released video for “Antidote” features the use of negatives superimposed upon each other to further emphasize the hallucinogenic and murky vibes of the song.

Preoccupations will be embarking on a lengthy tour to support the album that begins in Toronto and includes two NYC area dates — April 19, 2018 at Rough Trade with Freak Heat Waves as an opener and April 20, 2018 at Elsewhere’s Zone One with Odonis Odonis as an opener. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
TOUR DATES
4/14/18 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
4/18/18 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
4/19/18  Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
4/20/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Zone One) ^
4/23/18  Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
4/24/18  Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel *
4/26/18  Columbus, OH @ The A&R Music Bar *
4/27/18  Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
4/29/18  Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
5/1/18  Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid Cabaret *
5/3/18  Edmonton, AB @ Starlite *
5/4/18  Calgary, AB @ Palomino *
5/5/18  Calgary, AB @ Palomino
5/9/18  Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
5/11/18 Seattle, WA @ Barboza #
5/12/18  Portland, OR @ Star Theater #
5/14/18  San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop #
5/18/18  Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo #
5/19/18  Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #
5/22/18 Austin, TX @ Barracuda
5/23/18  Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
5/24/18  St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
6/5/18 London, UK @ London Underground
6/7 Berlin, D @ Musik & Frieden
6/10/18 Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
6/11/18 Paris, France @ Maroquinerie
6/12/18 Ramsgate, UK @ RMH
6/13/18 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
7/3/18 Amsterdam @ Sugarfactory
7/4/18 Hamburg @Molotow
^ w/ Odonis Odonis
* w/ Freak Heat Waves
# w/ Moaning

 

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Tagged with: Elsewhere Zone One Factory Records Freak Heat Waves indie rock Jagjaguwar Records Joy Division Manchester UK music music video New Video New Video: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Return with Murky and Hallucinogenic Visuals for Tense Industrial-like Single "Antidote" Odonis Odonis post punk Preoccupations Preoccupations Anxiety Preoccupations Degraded Preoccupations Memory Preoccupations New Material Preoccupations S/T LP rough trade The Joy of Violent Movement: New Video: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Return with Murky and Hallucinogenic Visuals for Tense Industrial-like Single "Antidote" video Video Review

William Ruben Helms

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I'm a music blogger, critic and photographer, who has had articles and photos published in Downbeat, Premier Guitar Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, The New York Press, New York Magazine's Vulture Blog, Ins&Outs Magazine, The Noise Beneath the Apple, Glide Magazine, The Whiskey Dregs Magazine and others. Check out The Joy of Violent Movement Shop: https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com/shop Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement : Featured as one of the top photographers in New York City

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  1. 1
    New Video: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Release Surreal Visuals for Haunting New Single “Disarray” – The Joy of Violent Movement on March 20, 2018 at 22:35
    Reply

    […] says Flegel. In fact, the murky and angular  Manchester/Joy Division-like first single “Espionage,” while being among the most danceable songs they’ve written and released, focuses on a […]

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  2. 2
    New Video: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Return with Psychedelic-Tinged Visuals for Propulsive Album Single “Decompose” – The Joy of Violent Movement on June 4, 2018 at 21:50
    Reply

    […] says Flegel. In fact, the murky and angular  Manchester/Joy Division-like first single “Espionage,” while being among the most danceable songs they’ve written and released, focuses on a […]

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  3. 3
    New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Preoccupations Covers Protomartyr’s “Pontiac 87” for Split 7 inch Single – The Joy of Violent Movement on November 19, 2018 at 18:11
    Reply

    […] says Flegel. In fact, the murky and angular  Manchester/Joy Division-like first single “Espionage,” while being among the most danceable songs they’ve written and released, focuses on a […]

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