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Mar 20, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Preoccupations

Preoccupations are releasing a new album, the amusingly titled New Material, this Friday (March 23) via Jagjaguwar. Previously they shared its first single, “Espionage,” as well as a video for the pulsing “Antidote” (which was one of our Songs of the Week). Now they have shared another song from the album, “Disarray,” via a video directed by Ruff Mercy. The sometimes disorientating video features lead vocalist/songwriter/bassist Matt Flegel as he sings the song at Saunton Sands in North Devon in the U.K. Sometimes his face is distorted by artwork and other squiggles, sometimes it is slightly separated from his head. Other times the image is a reflection in the water covered sand and it’s unclear whether or not the image is upside down. Watch it below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Flegel had this to say about the song in a press release: “When I was writing ‘Disarray,’ it started off with an image of a mother combing her daughter’s hair that came into my mind, I liked the metaphor of splitting the braids and combing through the tangles, and wrote the rest of the lyrics around that image. This song sat untouched for close to 6 months as a recording with just bass and drums before we came back to it and wrote and recorded the guitar line while out of our minds one night in the early AM.”

Mercy had this to say about directing the video: “For me the word ‘Disarray’ conjures up images of a mind unraveling in a chaotic way. I wanted to physically show that inner turmoil without having to have Matt or an actor run around with a painted face looking distressed so to cut up and distort and draw over Matt’s image felt like an interesting way to show this.”

The post-punk band were formerly known as Viet Cong, but released their first album as Preoccupations, also titled Preoccupations, in 2016 via Jagjaguwar. New Material is thus technically their third album. The band self-recorded the album, which was mixed by Justin Meldal-Johnson (M83, Wolf Alice).

Flegel had this to say about New Material in a previous press release: “It’s an ode to depression. To depression and self-sabotage, and looking inward at yourself with extreme hatred.”

Read our 2016 interview with Preoccupations.

Preoccupations Tour Dates:

4/13/18 Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
4/14/18 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern SOLD OUT
4/16/18 Montreal, Que @ Theatre Plaza
4/18/18 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
4/19/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
4/20/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Zone One) ^ SOLD OUT
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 *
4/28/18 Chicago, IL @ Co-Prosperity
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 #
5/17/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo #
5/18/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo # SOLD OUT
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
6/7/18 Berlin, D @ Musik & Frieden
6/8/18 Helsinki, Finland Sideways Festival
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
6/15/18 Dublin, Ireland Donnybrook Stadium
7/3/18 Amsterdam @ Sugarfactory
7/4/18 Hamburg @Molotow
7/5/18 Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
7/8/18 Monts, France Terre Du Son Festival
7/12 - 7/15/18 - Lithuania @ Devilstone Festival Anyksciai
7/13/18 Dour, Belgium Dour Festival
7/14/18 Brighton, UK The Haunt
7/15/18 Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
7/16/18 Birmingham, UK The Hare and Hound
7/17/18 Bristol, UK The Fleece

^ w/ Odonis Odonis
* w/ Freak Heat Waves
# w/ Moaning

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