If you have yet to check out Los Angeles natives, The Regrettes, now is the time! The punk act is led by vocalist and front woman, teen Lydia Night. The group has been consistently successful since their formation in 2015, signing to Warner Bros. Records a year after their start. The Regrettes put out their first record, Feel Your Feelings Fool!, in 2016 and spent the next two years headlining tours and performing big name festivals, such as Riot Fest, Coachella, and Lollapalooza.
Night originally met guitarist Genessa Gariano, previous bassist Sage Nicole, and previous drummer Max Morando under the School Of Rock music program, where students meet once a week to practice and perform classic rock songs together. Before wrapping up their most recent “Come Through” Tour, the band made some lineup changes, welcoming new drummer, Drew Thomsen. They are currently still in between bassists.
Amongst months of nonstop shows and rapid growth, they released the new EP, Attention Seeker, in early 2018. The five song EP features acoustic versions of singles “Hey Now” and “A Living Human Girl” from their first album and a punchy cover of “A Teenager in Love,” which was originally written and recorded by Dion and the Belmonts. The EP improves upon the signature sound they have built by blending a variety influences and genres, ranging from 70s punk rock, to Doo-Wop of the 50s and 60s.
“Come Through,” the first track on the EP, combines effortlessly cool vocals from Night and a rhythmic distorted sound. The lyrics express a newfound independence after becoming disinterested in someone, and realizing that the person has not “come through” like they once promised they would. The depth of emotion behind the lyrics parallels Night’s confident and melodic voice, as overlapping rhythms add that same depth in the music itself. Next on the tracklist is the high-energy “Red Light,” complete with a driving beat and flickering guitar riffs. Night’s voice takes on a more passionate and almost angry tone on this track, although the song ends in softer, harmonic falsetto vocals. The song that then follows is a doo-wop inspired track, “A Teenager in Love.” The title of this song perfectly summarizes the lyrical content, which describes the feelings of a teenage girl who is falling in love. The last two tracks on the EP are acoustic versions of songs from their debut album, Feel Your Feelings Fool!.
Not only were they able to put out Attention Seeker while on the road, but they also released a music video for the song “Come Through.” The video features the group in a 70’s suburban california style house, as Night shows her confident and cool anger by stepping on a photo of her ex-lover and ripping pages from what seems to be a diary, all while the rest of the group bakes a cake that reads “Fuck You!” At the end of the video, the group delivers the cake to the ex-boyfriend and shamelessly throws eggs at the recipient. The music video illustrates the mood of the song through the visuals and carries on the teenage-inspired angst of Night as she acts out a breakup.
The Regrettes’ live performances reflect a similarly contrived attitude of blissful rebellion. Night has been known for her power driven performances and infectious spirit. They play their fans’ favorite songs, while mixing in a few popular covers, such as “Killing in the Name Of” by Rage Against the Machine and “Ballroom Blitz” by The Sweets.
If you have yet to see them live and want in on the moshing mahem, The Regrettes will be returning to Los Angeles this fall to play the Fonda Theatre’s “Strange 80s II” event and Long Beach’s Tropicalia Fest.
