Earlier this year, The Regrettes released their (very fun) version of Robyn's iconic 2010 hit 'Dancing On My Own'. It went down well and, in recognition of the popularity of the cover version, the band launched a call for fan generated content of people dancing to 'Dancing On My Own'. They were "overwhelmed" with clips and tried to use as many as possible when collating and creating the video for the song.
"Dancing On My Own? More like dancing with all our fans!!" they concluded as they revealed the finished video, which is an absolute joy to watch.
With their third album, Further Joy, LA punk band The Regrettes have taken their sound in an increasingly pop direction, leading to an album that feels more like Parallel Lines than Vacation and which has been very well received.
The video to 'Anxieties (Out Of Time)' looks and feels like an homage to Atlanta, Georgia's finest the B52's, adding a sense of kitsch cheer that contrasts with the sense of awkwardness and tensions displayed by the band members throughout. For the band have created an incredibly catchy paen to the terrors of anxiety, imposter syndrome and self doubt.
"I can hear the sirens, and my visions blurry" begins Lydia Night against a background of almost harpsichord esque keyboard riffs. "Knock me down; I won't back down. Knock me down; I won't back down" she sings, mantra like, in the chorus against a rolling march of strident drums.
The breathless style of singing Night deploys in the bridge evokes the physical sensation of anxiety equally as much as the lyrics do, and there is a constant plea to "Just. Let. Me. Breathe." With 'Anxieties (Out of Time)' the band are conveying a sense of strength through candid honesty and vulnerability, creating a powerful message wrapped up in an irresistibly catchy brightly coloured package. More power to their elbow.
The Regrettes third album, Further Joy, was released earlier this year. As with many artists during the pandemic, Further Joy sees the band in a more introspective writing space than previous. Following on from the pensive girl crush ode that was 'You're So Fucking Pretty', the band released 'Anxieties (Out Of Time)', which saw them reflecting on the unbearable pressures of modern life in a video that seemed to make an elegant salute to the imagery of the B52s. A modern pop classic.
In years to come, the Media Studies students of the future will look at the music videos of 2020 and 2021 and discern a specific aesthetic trend: The Lockdown Music Video.
A collaboration between Isle of Wight punk pop singer/songwriter and The Regrettes singer/guitarist, Lydia Night, this rousing slice of energetic punk pop sarcasm and sass appears to be taking as its subject matter the toxic relationship. Rather than have some kind of 'romance gone wrong' themed video however, Hibberd and Night have elected to collaborate on a video via video conferencing software and have, perhaps inadvertently, also managed to capture the stasis, boredom and repetitive nature of lockdown on both sides of the Atlantic in the process. Start listening for the guitar hooks and attitude, stay for the camera in the fridge, the cute animations and Hibberd attempting to mirror her dog's forlorn expression.
It's worth putting up with the slightly wobbly camerawork in this live clip just to see a full 'Girls to the front' moment in action and, with any luck, it will not be the only time during this Fantasy Festival series that there will be reference made to that particular campaigning aspect of the live scene. I couldn't find the full Fonda Theater live show, but I have found for you the bands Paste Studios live session from 2019, which you can watch here.
Georgie: Mansfield singer/songwriter Georgie has toured with Jake Bugg and her live album Georgie: Live! was recorded at Nottingham Trinity Church and released last year. You can find out more about Georgie here. Geowulf: Australian dream pop duo Geowulf are onto their second album, from which the recent single 'He's 31' was taken. You can find out about them here. SOAK: Northern Irish Bridie Monds-Watson, aka SOAK, released her second album, Grim Town, in 2019. It included the highly acclaimed single 'Everybody Loves You'. You can find out more here. The Regrettes: The LA punk bands second album How do you love? was released in 2019, and was an express ride through a landscape of hyperactive punk pop anthems. You can find out more here. Nasty Cherry: Nasty Cherry are a manufactured pop act with a difference: Their svengali is Charli XCX. Also, in a nod towards the Monkees, they had their own TV show before they played their first gig. Also like the Monkees, they write surprisingly good songs and put on a good live show. You can find out more here. MØ: Danish singer, songwriter and producer Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen has been making innovative electro flavoured music since 2012, and has released two albums. Perhaps best known for her collaborations with Iggy Azaelia ('Beg for it') and Major Lazor and DJ Snake ('Lean On'), she has been compared to Grimes (musically) and Lana Del Rey (vocally). You can find out more here. Halsey: "Anti-Popstar" Halsey seemed like a logical choice as a headliner. She makes pop music, and operates in the pop world, but she also plays it awkward often enough for it to be hard to box her up and easily market her. Her music can be high gloss, big, emotional and slick, but it can also be glitchy and messy, as her three albums have shown, and she's not afraid to mix politics with pop. You can find out more here.
The Regrettes are a good example of an artist discovered by looking at what your 'friends' (social media friends that is) are listening to on Spotify, and giving said artist a try because you like the name. It's rare that this ends well in terms of discovering new music you like, but this was a rare example of a time when it paid off.
'California Friends' is taken from the bands second album, How Do You Love?, an instantly loveable slice of catchy punk pop with bite. If this song doesn't have you jumping around the room, nothing will.
