New York City electronic pop trio Occurrence marks a decade of musical collaboration with “Anniversary,” an 18-minute EP that reworks five songs from the band’s early catalog. The release, with electronics, synths and beats by Ken Urban and vocals by Cat Hollyer and Johnny Hager, lies somewhere between nostalgia and creative reinvention. Instead of simply revisiting prior work, the trio have re-recorded, re-mixed and re-imagined earlier material, giving familiar compositions new textures and renewed energy. The result is a unique atmosphere, a mix of experimental electronic pop with a nostalgic sensibility, rooted in the past, open to the future. For those that love music that ages with the people that make it, “Anniversary” is a powerful toast to artistic longevity.
The EP’s thesis is established immediately with “My Days and Nites Belong to You (2026 Version),” in which Occurrence suggests that familiar material can take on another personality when approached with new ears. The new recording gives us the opportunity to hear how the electronic arrangements relate to the vocal identity of the band, and the framing of the anniversary gives a song from their earlier catalog another level of meaning. “Shiver Bed (2026 Version)” carries on that retrospective journey, bringing yet another piece of Occurrence’s past into the present. The question is how the group’s changing production sensibilities can recontextualize a pre-existing composition, without losing the qualities that made it worth revisiting. Together, the opening choices strike a balance between recognition and renewal, making the EP feel like a living dialog with the band’s younger creative self rather than a simple collection of old favorites.
The retrospective continues with “If He Were Here (2026 Version),” which is a particularly fitting addition here given the connection to the band’s 2018 companion EP, “If He Were Here.” It highlights the project’s stance on revisiting defining moments, and allows the material to be reflective of a decade of shared experience. And “The Joy Ripper (2026 Version)” takes it one step further, providing an alternate look at the early catalog and the benefits of reexamining songs outside of the contexts they were created in. The five-song selection closes with the final chapter of the anniversary project, “I Like You More When You’re Stoned (2026 Version).” This recording also broadens the instrumental palette of the release with additional heavy metal guitar from Damien Baldet and sampler and tape contributions from Wayne Feldman. It's a reminder that Occurrence's experimental bent makes for serendipitous pairings, even in a project rooted in reflection.
It's a fun milestone for the thought that went into making "Anniversary." For its first three releases, Occurrence spent six months’ work reworking, rethinking arrangements and recording new vocal and synthesizer parts to bring five established compositions into a new era. It is the fruit of more than ten years of work, the fruit of a constant will to question, to perfect, to recompose the creative choices of the group. Directed by Ken Urban, the production features shared vocals by Cat Hollyer and Johnny Hager. The trio celebrates their beginnings but does not view them as a closed chapter. “Anniversary” is a celebration of Occurrence’s history, and at the same time a declaration of ongoing artistic intent; it’s a way of looking back that becomes a productive way of looking forwards.
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