This Canadian indie rock band just released their self-titled album Tuesday, Jan. 20, after their first full-length album “Cassette” released in 2014. Their newest album is available on iTunes and Spotify.
After their previous band “Women” broke up in 2010 due to an onstage fight, Viet Cong formed in 2012 after the guitarist for “Women” died, inspiring them to start their own musical project, instead of waiting for something to come along.
Viet Cong features a lo-fi sound with repetitive drum beats, organ-like synthesizers and distorted guitars that can sometimes seem to emulate nothing but static, but are also at times jangly and bright.
On some tracks, you can be left to long, hypnotic musical phrases that make you want to groove a little, like on their track “March of Progress.” These phrases can paint a relaxing, smooth picture, until they’re interrupted by bursts of upbeat rock rhythms that make you want to dance.
However, this can be a detriment to their album, like for the finishing track “Death.” It starts out with a really soothing guitar progression with some doom-struck vocals, giving it an 80’s post-punk vibe, like “Joy Division.” This slowly morphs into a chaotic thrashing of drums and guitar that lasts for a wearying three minutes, until it redeems itself with a more intense version of the beginning of the track.
Viet Cong’s newest release provides some really great groove work and some hypnotic rhythms and melodies that are really pleasant to the ear. However, their tendency to drone on can occasionally make them out to be that awkward uncle that won’t stop talking about that time he saw “The Rolling Stones” in concert.
