Though
Preoccupations
started making
Arrangements
just before the COVID-19 global pandemic and continued working on it remotely through lockdowns, the challenging conditions didn't dull their edge at all. If anything, the band's fourth album in total reaffirms their dedication to using crises as opportunities for transformation. Aside from the synths and shoegazey guitars that soften the edges of "Slowly"'s post-punk balladry,
finds
shifting away from the new wave sheen of
New Material
and toward a grittier attack reminiscent of their early work. It's a bold move with mixed results. Two of the strongest tracks bookend the album. "Fix Bayonets!" starts things off with slashing guitars and an appropriately martial drumbeat, while
Matt Flegel
matches the music's charge with a barrage of thoughts about how to cope in a polarized world, concluding "it was all over before it even began" as the song tears itself apart. By contrast, the dead calm of the droning vocal harmonies and ringing chords of "Tearing Up the Grass" is just as powerful, closing the album on a note somewhere between triumphant and menacing. In between,
often sound furious and resigned at the same time -- a strange combination of emotions but a fitting response to life in the early 2020s. On
' other highlights, it feels like they're not just protesting the thorny issues of the late 2010s and early 2020s but the worst parts of human nature itself. The line between paranoia and healthy distrust blurs on "Ricochet," which gives doubt and despair the anthemic heft
does so well. Similarly, the way "Advisor" morphs from discordant drifting into an unabating chug shows the band's knack for rangy, multifaceted tracks is still keen and provides one of the most satisfying moments for listeners willing to follow the band to its limits. Dense and sometimes overwhelming,
is a testament to
' willingness to stay in their discomfort zone and document everything that happens. This time, however, the results are admirable but not always easy to connect with. ~ Heather Phares