Head in the Clouds ⇢ Artist Recommendations

The Regrettes

Alright, folks, we're trying something new. When I say "we," I mean fellow admin Mal and I, Claire. Of course, we'll still be recommending an artist in this chapter, but since both Mal and I are fans of this act, I thought it would be a fun idea to make a collaborative chapter. And since Mal introduced me to this act, I'll allow her to introduce the band we're discussing.

Yes, it is I, Mal, and it's no secret that this band owns my ass. The Regrettes are an American rock band made up of lead singer Lydia Night, guitarist Genessa Gariano, bassist Sage Chavis, and drummer Maxx Morado. Their debut album Feel Your Feelings, Fool! came out in early 2017 and was followed up by the EP Attention Seeker, which came out earlier this year. These guys are crazy talented, especially considering they're all teenagers. Their lyrics are clever as hell and cover everything from teenage heartbreak to feminism, and their music is full of wit and charisma.

Genre-wise, these guys are a little bit hard to pin down. They're mainly classified as punk rock, and while there are punk elements within their music, they're way too far off to be primarily punk to me. I'd say they're a mix of garage rock, doo-wop, and riot grrrl, with a heavy sixties pop rock influence.

That's actually a pretty good summary of how I feel. I'd definitely classify them primarily as a garage rock act, no doubt about it. I also agree with your thoughts that while they aren't entirely a punk rock band, some elements of the genre are present. The length of some their songs such as "Ladylike/WHATTA BITCH" is probably the biggest example of the incorporation of punk rock in their music, but Lydia Night has no shortage of aggressive, energetic vocal performances in her arsenal. I do, however, think that some of their less heavy, more sixties-inspired songs like "Hey Now" could possibly fall into the power pop genre.

Now, genre categorizations aside, what would you consider to be The Regrettes' most famous song?

According to Spotify, it's "Come Through," which makes sense as it was the lead single of their recent EP. But I'm going to include their previously most well-known song (and my first exposure to them) "Seashore" here as well because I feel like that one is more widely recognized than "Come Through" is.

My personal favorites by them, though, are "Lacy Loo," "Pale Skin," and "Juicebox Baby."

"Seashore" was my first exposure to The Regrettes as well, and it's actually one of my favorite songs by the band, standing amongst other songs like the aforementioned "Lacy Loo," "You Won't Do," "Head in the Clouds," and "Hey Now."

In terms of comparisons to other artists, The Regrettes remind me a bit of Remo Drive. Both bands have elements of punk rock in their music, and they both have similar spirit and energy in their lyrics.

In some ways they remind me of the punk band SWMRS, who they've actually toured with a few times. Both are fairly upbeat, gritty, and surf punk-influenced bands with a lot of charisma and it's easy to see why they have quite a few mutual fans.

They're also comparable to Cherry Glazerr, another band with feminist themes in their lyrics, a female vocalist, and a garage rock sound throughout their discography. I'm not really into this band but what I've heard has a very similar vibe.

Bikini Kill is a legendary riot grrrl band and one of this band's big influences, and you can definitely hear it in their music. The bands share a punk energy and clever lyrics about gender issues in their songs.

That's pretty much it. We both think this band is extremely talented and super worth checking out. They may only have an album and an EP to their name but everything they've released so far has been pretty damn great. Give them a listen!

- Claire and Mal