Preoccupations have always been a profoundly psychological band. More accurately, they tend to be predisposed to emotional fragility. This feeling seems to widen for them, but it’s easy to feel despondent these days. It feels appropriate, like the right thing to do, to view the world through dirty, bleak lenses. Parts of the world burn, integrity is undone, and immorality is exposed in institutions that we can only hope to trust. Such is the expression of Arrangements, the new record by Preoccupations, who have become very adept at making anxious music.
Based in Calgary, Preoccupations stand at the forefront of the new age post-punk movement of the last decade, delivering gloomy goth sounds reminiscent of bands like Joy Division, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, complete with a starkly cynical outlook. Produced by bassist and vocalist Matthew Flegel and guitarist/synth player Scott Munro, with additional production by drummer Michael Wallace, Arrangements comes four years after their third album, 2018’s New Material. While maintaining their connection with Canadian label Flemish Eye, handling the new album’s release, the band has decided to self-release Arrangements across all other regions they reach.
“The lyrics are pretty conspicuous and self-explanatory on this one,” says Flegel. “But it’s basically about the world blowing up and no one giving a shit.” Flegel’s lyrics explore internal pressure and complications, often articulating a desire to push the world away because the world is an engine of distress. Like their previous records, Arrangements touches on the anxiety that comes from uncertainty and alienation, but unlike previous records, this one does not signify a search for ataraxis. There is no peace of mind in sight at the moment for Preoccupations.
The seven songs that comprise Arrangements are not designed with the typical verse-chorus-verse structure. Instead, they’re more like vivid compositions assembled in movements. These are songs made of parts that evolve rather than recycle. As far as repetition goes, Flegel can be heard throughout the album repeating melancholic phrases as if he’s pacing in his home, distraught about the uncertain future. From: https://www.popmatters.com/preoccupations-arrangements-album-review
