Detroit’s Protomartyr has had an incredibly busy year, continuing to tour in support of 2017’s brilliant third LP Relatives In Descent followed up with an EP Consolation and a split 7″ with Austin noise punks Spray Paint. Now, Joe Casey & co. return with a cover of Preoccupations somber song “Forbidden”, off their 2016 self-titled LP. Its the first single off an upcoming split 7″ where two of the best post-punk bands that this decade has to offer will be covering a song from the other ahead of their co-headlining fall tour. Preoccupations will be taking on a cover of “Pontiac 87”, my favorite track from Protomartyr’s 2015 sophomore record The Agent Intellect.
“There’s an old adage that goes something like, ‘If you’re going to cover a song by a beloved Canadian band, it’s best to pick the second shortest one”. “So, ‘Forbidden’ it is. We all really liked the outro part and had the brilliant idea to extend it. And that, my friends, is how you make musical history.” – Joe Casey
This version stays in spirit of the original but not buried in synths and reverb, instead Greg Ahee’s fills the air with a lightly strummed guitar while Casey takes center stage creating a more urgent sense of the line, ” You’ll be made irrelevant by a suicide machine, mechanically modified to muffle out the screams”. As the intro ends, drums and bass overtake the listener as we begin a roaring ride to some unknown destination. Casey’s lyrics become faded in the background except for calls of “forbidden” echoing in the distance.
Telemetry at Howe Bridge is out November 16th via Domino Records.
Listen below…
Protomartyr / Preoccupations 2019 Tour
Oct. 26th – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory w. Deadbeat Beat + Double Winter
Nov. 23rd – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Nov 24th – Ottawa, ON @ 27 Club
Nov 26th – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Nov 28th – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Nov 29th – Washington DC @ Union Stage
Nov 30th – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Dec 1st – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Dec 3rd – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Palace
Dec 4th – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
Dec 6th – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Dec 7th – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
Dec 8th – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Dec 10th – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Dec 12th – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
Dec 13th – Boise, ID @ Olympic
Dec 14th – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Dec 15th – Vancouver BC @ Venue
Dec 16th – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
Dec 18th – San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Dec 19th – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent