Preoccupations have announced a new album, Arrangements, out Sept. 9 via Flemish Eye in Canada, and self-released by the band in the rest of the world. The follow-up to 2018’s New Material, their comeback LP is accompanied by their new single, “Ricochet,” and a fall U.S. tour.
The band began working on Arrangements, their fourth record, in the fall of 2019, when bassist Matt Flegel and guitarist Danny Christiansen met up with keyboardist Scott Munro at his Studio St. Zo in Montreal. They (along with drummer Mike Wallace) recorded the bare bones of the album and decided to reconvene in a few months, but due to the onset of COVID-19, they were forced to record the rest remotely. This sense of isolation and detachment is automatically evident in “Ricochet.” With the end looming in sight, there’s a heavy disillusionment as Flegel scorns, “They’re selling T-shirts at this crucifixion / And we don’t have the corresponding currency / It’s an odyssey of absurdity / Ricochet and decay.” A bleak look at modern folly, their steady dark wave seems to be treading water as they wait out the inevitable.
“The lyrics are pretty conspicuous and self explanatory on this one, but it’s basically about the world blowing up and no one giving a shit,” said Flegel.
You can check out the complete list of Preoccupations tour dates below, along with the video for “Ricochet” and details of Arrangements.
Arrangements Tracklist:
1. Fix Bayonets!
2. Ricochet
3. Death Of Melody
4. Slowly
5. Advisor
6. Recalibrate
7. Tearing Up The Grass
Arrangements Art:
Preoccupations Tour Dates:
October
19 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch
20 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
21 – Lincoln Hall @ Chicago, IL
22 – Racoon Motel @ Davenport, IA
23 – Turf Club in St. Paul @ Minneapolis, MN
26 – Commonwealth @ Calgary, AB
28 – Tractor Tavern @ Seattle, WA
29 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
30 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
November
02 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
05 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley
08 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
09 – Austin, TX @ Parish
10 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
12 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
16 – Washington, DC @ DC9
17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
18 – New York, NY@ Bowery Ballroom
19 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
22 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
22 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
24 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s