New Zealand Post-punk Veterans Vietnam Share New Video

The energetic third single and video from Vietnam’s first new record in 37 years, This Quiet Room: distributed by Clear Spot (EU / UK) and Rhythmethod (NZ)

‘In Another Desert’ by New Zealand post-punk / indie-guitar band Vietnam is the third video and promo single to be lifted from their latest album, This Quiet Room. Vietnam’s first new record since 1985’s self-titled debut, This Quiet Room was released in New Zealand and Australia in January 2022. Met with an immediate and overwhelmingly warm reception from radio, reviewers, and record collectors alike, vinyl and CD copies of This Quiet Room have now gained wider release across Europe and the UK, through Netherlands distribution label Clear Spot.

‘In Another Desert’ is both the new album’s opening track, and one of the earliest unreleased songs from the band’s original 1980s repertoire. The song kicks off This Quiet Room with a stick count from original drummer Leon Reedijk (R.I.P.), sampled from the band’s 2017 live reunion show in Wellington, New Zealand. Sadly, Leon died of a sudden heart attack just a few months after that show.

Post-punk.com’s Alice Teeple writes:

“In Another Desert sounds like a long-lost Clash track meets Joy Division – from the passionate vocals to the infectious hooks throughout, blended with a distinctly New Zealand-flavoured guitar jangle.”

Primarily written by co-founding member Peter Dransfield, ‘In Another Desert’ ranges from tumultuous, tension-building rhythms through to breezier moments of melodic release: showcasing Vietnam’s moody early eighties post-punk influences (often compared at the time to Joy Division, The Cure, The Church, or The Sound), blended with New Zealand influences in the tradition of The Pin Group, The Verlaines, or The Chills. The song’s dynamic contrast between light and shade is offset by the new video, capturing an energetic performance from the band, in stark monochrome.

Bassist and co-founder Adrian Workman says of the clip:

“We wanted to capture the energy and intensity of the song while performing in ‘live’ mode for this video. The band members really fired off each other during the shoot, and I think the finished product is dynamic and pacey.”

With two thirds of the bandmates now based in Sydney, Australia, the video was shot between Australia and New Zealand, and for the first time features the entire recording line-up from the new album: Shane Te Kawenata Bradbrook (vocals), Adrian Workman (bass), Geoff Lerwill (keys), Joe Neufeld (drums), Cranston Brecht (guitars), and Barn Coren (guitars). The video has been directed, filmed and edited by David Bugeja of Catmari Productions in Sydney; with New Zealand footage shot in Wellington by Tim Simpson of NITROmedia.

A quickfire montage at the end of the clip meanwhile pays homage to the original 1981-85 fourpiece line-up that first performed ‘In Another Desert’.

“Including the montage of pics of the original line-up at the end really ties the old and the new together”, Adrian remarks.

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