The band frequently faced controversy over their original name, involving accusations of both racism and cultural appropriation because of the name's association with the original Vietnamese Viet Cong. In March 2015, the band was set to perform at Oberlin College, but the show was canceled due to their "offensive name".
In September 2015, the band announced that they were going to change their name: "We are a band who wants to make music and play our music for our fans. We are not here to cause pain or remind people of atrocities of the past". On March 29, 2016, the Canadian music magazine Exclaim! reported that the band were still booking shows under the name Viet Cong, and began running a real-time "Days since Viet Cong promised to change their name" counter on the magazine's website.
On April 21, 2016, Flegel announced in a Pitchfork interview that the band would henceforth be performing and recording under the name "Preoccupations".
Zodiac
Preoccupations Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're all reluctantly engaged
Fending off the less
Desirable embraces
Slashing so weakly
So close to exhaustion
But hopelessly holding our breath
But you can't feel happy every day
Cease and desist all the things that you insist
To be in a complete state of consciousness
Is completely intolerable
Come up at will
Sleepwalkers out
Of the Zodiac
Retake your form
From the solemn days
Focusing on
The task at hand
You're an impossibility
Fading into obscurity
We have the facilities at our disposal
Ask me at the lowest swing of the pendulum
While hopefully holding our breath
Come up at will
Sleepwalkers out
Of the Zodiac
Retake your form
From the solemn days
Focusing on
The task at hand
The song "Zodiac" by Preoccupations is a reflection on the struggles of the human condition. The lyrics depict a feeling of being trapped in circumstances beyond one's control, with the use of the Zodiac as a metaphor for the cycle of life and fate. The first stanza acknowledges that we often find ourselves in undesirable situations, and although we try to fight them, we are close to exhaustion. However, despite this fatigue, we continue to hold onto hope.
The following stanza shows how we try to humanize ourselves, but cannot be happy all the time. The lyrics suggest that we need to cease and desist certain things we believe will complete us, as being in a complete state of consciousness is intolerable. The final stanza calls for us to come up at will and break free from the cycle of life. It suggests we should retake our form from the solemn days and focus on the task at hand. The song encapsulates the eternal struggle of human nature, as we strive to break free from our fate and find meaning in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Another circumstance to blame
We often look for external factors to blame for our current situation.
We're all reluctantly engaged
We may not be fully invested in what we are doing or going through.
Fending off the less
We try to avoid negative experiences and people.
Desirable embraces
We want to be embraced by positive experiences and people.
Slashing so weakly
We are putting in minimal effort.
So close to exhaustion
We are almost at our breaking point.
But hopelessly holding our breath
We are trying to hold on and persevere even though it seems impossible.
Upped and upped, a humanizing way
We try to improve ourselves and become more human-like in the process.
But you can't feel happy every day
We can't always experience happiness in life.
Cease and desist all the things that you insist
We need to let go of things that may be holding us back.
To be in a complete state of consciousness
We need to be fully aware of ourselves and our surroundings.
Is completely intolerable
It may be difficult to achieve and maintain this level of consciousness.
Come up at will
We need to rise up and take control of our lives.
Sleepwalkers out Of the Zodiac
We need to detach ourselves from negative influences and break free from our current situation.
Retake your form
We need to rediscover ourselves and become who we truly are.
From the solemn days
We need to move on from difficult times and memories.
Focusing on The task at hand
We need to concentrate on what we can do in the present moment to improve our situation.
You're an impossibility
We may feel like an impossible situation or person to deal with.
Fading into obscurity
We may feel like we are gradually disappearing or losing our identity.
We have the facilities at our disposal
We have the resources and tools available to improve our situation.
Ask me at the lowest swing of the pendulum
We may need help or support when we are at our lowest point.
While hopefully holding our breath
We are still trying to hold on and persevere even though things may seem hopeless.
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
WildBoy4FunTime
This sounds massive! way better than the album version that's for sure!
Тама Бай
Очень живая музыка,магия,прекрасно!
O. Bin Wheelie
Is this from their new album?? I hadn't listened to it yet because I didn't really like the singles that much but heck! This sounds proper good
O. Bin Wheelie
Ah right, cheers!
Migel Qazy
hello viet cong