The woke brigade got this band. Ultimately I think it's better that they opted to change the name of the band from Viet Cong to Preoccupations. But, shouldn't the market dictate things like this? I mean, if the name is so offensive, won't people stop supporting them? Well maybe not. From Wikipedia:
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 cancelled due to their "offensive name".
In September 2015, the band announced that they were going to change their name, posting to their Facebook page, "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". Their second studio album, Preoccupations, was released as a self-titled album under the name Preoccupations on September 16, 2016.
I have some sympathy because I am sure they would have lost some momentum with the name change, but maybe they also gained some fans who knew nothing about them previous to the kerfuffle? My copy is the limited edition pressing on clear vinyl that was packaged with a bonus 7' single.
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