Preoccupations album review: propulsive, purposeful, persistent

They may have changed their name, but the song – or at least, the music – remains pretty much the same. The band formerly (and controversially) known as Viet Cong are still the same Canadian post-punk purveyors – although by all accounts, a difficult year has taken it out of them.

That emotional hardship filters through to these songs, from the fraught, nihilistic Joy Division-esque squall of Anxiety to the unsettling Sense and the thunderstruck rattle of Stimulation. The persistent grinding solemnity is a little trying in parts, making such tracks as the 11-minute long '80s homage Memory something of a dirge.

Still, the more propulsive and purposeful tracks (Zodiac, Degraded) weave a web of sound that is intriguing enough to warrant further listening.

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