When the four members of Preoccupations wrote and recorded their new record- they were in a state of near total instability. Years-long relationships ended; they left homes behind. Frontman Matt Flegel guitarist Danny Christiansen multi-instrumentalist Scott Munro and drummer Mike Wallace all moved to different cities and they resolved to change their band name but hadn't settled on a new one.And so where their previous album 'Viet Cong' was built in some ways on the abstract cycles of creation and destruction 'Preoccupations' explores how that sometimes-suffocating sometimes-revelatory trap affects our lives.Opener "Anxiety" articulates that tension: clattering sounds drift into focus "Monotony" moves at a narcoleptic pace by Preoccupations' standards "Degraded" surprises with something like a traditional structure and an almost pop-leaning melody to its chorus and the 11-minute-long "Memory" is the album's keystone with an intimate narrative and a truly timeless post-punk center. All this adds up to Preoccupations: a singular bracing collection that proves what's punishing can also be soothing everything can change without disrupting your compass. Your best year can be your worst year at the same time. Whatever sends you flying can also help you land.