Preoccupations

Preoccupations’ 2015 album Viet Cong (also the band's name at the time) was one of the most vital releases of the ‘00s post-punk revival, a loose collection of bands that included stage-sharers Protomartyr and METZ. The band’s second LP (and first under the Preoccupations name) is a unique mix of the anxious and atmospheric, where tense, almost dreadful moods (“Anxiety,” “Sense”) sit side by side with shimmering ballads that bring to mind goth-adjacent bands like Echo & The Bunnymen (“Monotony,” “Memory”). It’s a darker, more romantic sound than Viet Cong, but just as sharp.