Kevin Bronson on January 30th, 2015

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If the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse trade their horses for Cold War-era combustion engines, you’ll know that Viet Cong have arrived. The new self-titled album from the Canadian band howls from the hilltops with reverb-drenched bass and vocals, grindingly sharp guitars and industrial rhythms. Joy Division- and Bauhaus-style goth is given a refreshingly new context, accentuated by Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine guitar treatments. But there’s a sonic complexity and emotional depth to these songs that make Viet Cong reach far beyond its influences. The cold militarism is here, but it is often deftly tempered by softer, sometimes pop elements from the vocals or synths. In the album opener, “Newspaper Spoons,” harsh factory-floor drums and syncopated vocals eventually give way to the chiming optimism of the synthesizers. “Silhouettes” (that’s Brooke Linder’s video, above) churns with relentless anxiety. But this is no compromise to easy listening. “March of Progress” and the grinding closer “Death” explore angular, hypnotic landscapes that evoke Can. Of “March of Progress,” bassist and lead singer Matt Flegel says, “That’s the one where I thought ‘that’s what I want us to be doing. Finally.’”

— Wayne Everett

||| Live: Viet Cong plays the Echo on March 6. Update: The show has been moved to the Echoplex.

||| Also: Below, watch the video for “Continental Shelf”

Photo by David Waldman