News
Arrangements Due Out September 9
Jul 26, 2022
By Mark Redfern
Preoccupations are releasing a new album, Arrangements, on September 9. Now they have shared its second single, “Death of Melody.” More
Plus Jockstrap, Dry Cleaning, Marlon Williams, Whitney, Preoccupations, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 17, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 24th Songs of the Week of 2022. This week’s list features several artists from Down Under, with some great tracks from artists from both Australia and New Zealand. There were too many fantastic songs this week, so we have a super-sized Top 15 main list and lots of strong honorable mentions too. More
Arrangements Due Out September 9
Jun 14, 2022
By Mark Redfern
Preoccupations have announced a new album, Arrangements, and shared its first single, “Ricochet.” The band has also announced some fall tour dates. More
New Material Out Now via Jagjaguwar; Band Has Reached GoFundMe Goal After Gear Was Stolen
Jun 04, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations have shared a new video for “Decompose.” Directed by Evan Henderson, the video was filmed while the band performed live at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern and shot on film which had been boiled for two weeks in a salt water brine prior to filming. More
They Were Robbed in Both Vancouver and San Francisco
May 16, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations have been robbed twice in the last week. Yesterday morning the band woke up at their Travelodge in San Francisco to discover that their van and trailer, containing all their gear, had been stolen. But that was on top of them already being robbed in Vancouver in the last week. More
Issue 63 Also Includes Interviews with MGMT, The Decemberists, Belle & Sebastian, The National, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Fleet Foxes, Parquet Courts, Noel Gallagher, Spoon, and More
Mar 28, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our Spring 2018 Issue, which is out now digitally via Under the Radar’s app and the magazine apps Readly and Zinio. The print version has shipped out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon. The issue features Courtney Barnett on the cover. More
Plus Okkervil River, The Go! Team, King Tuff (feat. Jenny Lewis), Hiss Golden Messenger, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 23, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Last week we skipped Songs of the Week. Most of the music industry was in Austin for SXSW and thus few notable songs were shared last week, leaving us with not enough contenders to even put together a Top 5 we were truly excited about. So this week’s Songs of the Week mainly covers this week, but has a few songs from last week, including the song that would’ve been our #1 last week if we’d done a list. Hence we have a Top 12 this week. More
New Material Out Now via Jagjaguwar
Mar 23, 2018
By Adam Turner-Heffer
Those looking for a return to Viet Cong, look away now. At this point it might just be easier to think of Preoccupations as a different band, as their latest album New Material shares a lot more in common with the first, self-titled Preoccupations album than their debut under their former name. Luckily, this is no bad thing, even if different, as Preoccupations have yet again created a gothy, atmospheric post-punk cracker. More
New Material Due Out Friday via Jagjaguwar
Mar 20, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
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. More
Plus Anna von Hausswolff, Preoccupations, of Montreal, Iceage, Lucy Dacus, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 16, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
This week Under the Radar favorite Courtney Barnett announced her new album and shared a new song and fellow favorites Beach House announced that a new album was coming and shared a new song. More
New Material March 23 via Jagjaguwar
Feb 13, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations are releasing a new album, the amusingly titled New Material, on March 23 via Jagjaguwar. Previously they shared its first single, “Espionage.” Now they have shared another song from the album, the pulsing “Antidote,” via a video. More
Self-Titled Album Out Now via Jagjaguwar
Dec 01, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations, the band formerly known as Viet Cong, released their first album under their new name, also titled Preoccupations, back in September via Jagjaguwar. Now the band has shared a video for the album’s 11-minute centerpiece track, “Memory.” More
Special Issue Takes On Sexism and Feminism in the Music Industry, Tackles the Election, and Features Amanda Palmer on the Cover
Sep 09, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our 2016 Protest Issue (out September, October, and into November), which is out now both digitally and on newsstands. We’ve done a Protest Issue every U.S. Presidential election year since 2004 and as before this issue features articles examining the intersection of music and politics and photo shoots with musicians holding protest signs of their own making. Then in mid-October we will be launching our charity Protest Auction, in which we auction off all the protest signs in the issue, with all profits going to the American Cancer Society. More
Self-Titled Album Due Out September 16 via Jagjaguwar
Sep 07, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations, the band formerly known as Viet Cong, are releasing their first album under their new name, also titled Preoccupations, on September 16 via Jagjaguwar. More
Self-Titled Album Due Out September 16 via Jagjaguwar
Aug 16, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations, the band formerly known as Viet Cong, are releasing their first album under their new name, also titled Preoccupations, on September 16 via Jagjaguwar. Previously they had shared the album’s first single, “Anxiety,” via its video, along with another track from the record, “Degraded.” Now “Degraded” has an abstract animated video. More
Self-Titled Album Due Out September 16 via Jagjaguwar
Jul 13, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Preoccupations, the band formerly known as Viet Cong, are releasing their first album under their new name, also titled Preoccupations, on September 16 via Jagjaguwar. Previously they had shared the album’s first single, “Anxiety,” via its video. Now we have another track from the record, “Degraded.” More
Self-Titled Album Due Out September 16 via Jagjaguwar
Jun 13, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
In September 2015 Viet Cong announced that they would be changing their name after facing much controversy because of its association with the original Viet Cong from the Vietnam War and in April 2016 the band announced that their new name would be Preoccupations. More
Interviews
Jun 05, 2018
By Charles Steinberg
Preoccupations’ drummer Mike Wallace once grimaced at the suggestion that the Calgary, Alberta band was part of a new guard in the post-punk/New Wave sound. Lead vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Matt Flegel finds this amusing but doesn’t mind the association. More
Nov 01, 2016
By Matt Fink
In the middle of April, the members of Viet Cong found themselves in an unusual position. It was a little over a year since their self-titled debut had established them as a post-punk buzz band, but they already had their sophomore album exactly how they wanted it: completely mixed, mastered, and its song titles chosen. More
Reviews
Mar 26, 2018
By Stephen Mayne
The picture on the front of the new album from Preoccupations looks like the kind of thing usually found in a brightly lit, sparsely furnished modern art gallery. There’s a striking, industrial feel that draws the gaze through circle, triangle, and square. It’s also more interesting than nearly anything on New Material. More