Perfectly imperfect – that’s one way to describe Los Angeles based punk act, The Regrettes. Writing songs that proudly bear a brazen and unabashed attitude in the vein of acts Courtney Barnett or Karen O – with a pop aesthetic reminiscent of 50’s and 60’s acts a la the Temptations or Buddy Holly – the LA based four piece create infectious, punk driven tracks.
Lead by outspoken frontwoman, Lydia Night, and comprised of Genessa Gariano on guitar, Sage Nicole on bass and drummer Maxx Morando, the group have left the LA rock scene floored, managing to capture the hearts of jaded rock critics while opening for acts like Kate Nash, Jack Off Jill, Bleached, Pins, Deep Vally and more. With nothing but demos available online, the group are already beginning to generate hype, from outlets like NPR, and with NYLON already heralding them them as a “punk act you should be listening to”
Perfectly imperfect – that’s one way to describe LA based punk act, The Regrettes. Writing songs that proudly bear a brazen and unabashed attitude in the vein of acts Courtney Barnett or Karen O – with a pop aesthetic reminiscent of 50’s and 60’s acts a la the Temptations or Buddy Holly – the LA based four piece create infectious, punk driven tracks.
Lead by outspoken frontwoman, Lydia Night, and comprised of Genessa Gariano on guitar, Sage Nicole on bass , the group have left the LA rock scene floored, managing to capture the hearts of jaded rock critics while opening for acts like Kate Nash, Jack Off Jill, Bleached, Pins, Deep Vally and more. With nothing but demos available online, the group are already beginning to generate hype, from outlets like NPR, and with NYLON already heralding them them as a “punk act you should be listening to”.
From the opening moments on a track by The Regrettes, we’re greeted with a wall of guitars, infectious melodies and a wistful nostalgia that continues right until the final notes. Taking cues from acts like Hinds and Hole, there’s a wistful sense of youth and vulnerability that lies at the heart of each song.
A song by The Regrettes is, essentially, a diary entry into Lydia’s life. “My music is a spectrum of every emotion that I have felt in the last year, and you can hear that when you hear the songs. Everything that is happening in my life influences me. It’s everything from boys, to friends, to being pissed off at people, to being really sad. Just everything.”
The most intoxicating draw of The Regrettes is their bashful, heart-on-your-sleeve temperament – writing urgent and fast-paced pop songs with a punk rock mentality. “The way that we write, it’s all based on honesty,” muses Lydia on the group’s punk aesthetic. “If I finish a song, I’ll just leave it – I won’t really go back to it. I like things to feel in the moment and I don’t want it to be perfect. If I work on something too much I lose it and get bored and I want to do the next one.”
First song, “A Living Human Girl,” best showcases the vulnerability of the group’s lyrics. Singing about a less than perfect complexion, a bra size that is considered smaller than most, and those little red bumps you get when you shave, The Regrettes aren’t afraid to embrace their imperfections. “Sometimes I’m pretty and sometimes I’m not”, sings Lydia over 60’s inspired guitar riffs and a kicked back drum beat. “I don’t remember exactly what sparked it, but I remember when I wrote those lyrics, I was just really angry.”
“There are times when you feel really insecure and you really don’t like yourself, so I wrote it for people who feel that and I wrote it for myself. I just felt like there wasn’t a song like that out there. A song that if I was feeling super shitty about myself, that I could listen to. I wanted something that would make girls and boys feel confident,” she explains.
Lydia’s not afraid to have her feelings on display. “I am not scared of anyone judging me, I don’t care. I don’t give a fuck if someone doesn’t like what I have to say. For every person that likes you, there’s a person that doesn’t like you. No matter what, if people can relate to the music then it’s worth it. That’s what is cool for me.” And at the end of the day, isn’t that what punk music is all about?
The Regrettes‘ debut album, Feel Your Feelings Fool!, is in no danger of the bad vibes associated with its Friday the 13th release, and if this is the first you’re hearing of the Los Angeles band, just know that it won’t be the last. Frontwoman Lydia Night offers an unfiltered manifesto over the course of 15 unforgettable tracks (plus a secret song ). Night and Genessa Gariano (guitar), Sage Chavis (bass) and Maxx Morando (drums) manage to draw from genres like garage rock, ‘60s pop and punk rock, while delivering a deliciously cohesive and catchy debut. Oh yeah, and they’re still in their teens.
But if you think their age is relevant, Night will quickly disavow you of that notion in the garage rock-tinged, “Seashore.” Backed by Nicole’s slinky bass line, Night addresses sexism, ageism and condescending assholes everywhere: “You’re talking to me like a child/ Hey I got news/ I’m not a little girl, and no I won’t give you a little twirl.” And with a chorus like, “I’m like nobody else, so you can just go fuck yourself,” you’re kidding yourself if you think you won’t be singing along to this anthem on the way home from your next shitty Monday at work.
In the sarcastic, fast-paced punky tune, “LadylikeWHATTA Bitch,” Night mocks the kind of judgmental peers most women are familiar with. Though its chorus is just Night, Gariano and Chavis singing “wa-oooo wa-wa-wa-oooo,” it will be stuck in your head, all freaking day. Fueled by power chords and Morando’s frenetic drumbeat, Night jeers at her haters in first person, “Lydia got asked out by this cute boy at my school gym/ But apparently she said no ’cause she was just not into him/ But clearly that’s not true and she is just a lesbian.”
The Regrettes fit love sickness in alongside calling out the patriarchy with the melodic “Juicebox Baby.” You can almost feel Night’s light headedness when she sings,“My mom tells me I’m lazy/ Well it’s ‘cause you make me hazy/ My head’s spinning like crazy.” Morando’s breakneck drums, Gariano’s fevered guitar melody and Nicole’s frenetic bass line, combined with Night’s rapid-fire lyrics about being smitten to the point of dizziness, make the song feel like a musical footrace—in a good way. As the band mates race to the end of the song, it’s no surprise that Night finally confesses, “I think I’m falling, falling for you darlin’/ It’s really quite alarming.”
If their freshman album is any indication of what’s to come from The Regrettes, then we can all look forward to a bright future for these 21st century Riot Grrrls.
The Fat Angel Sings 