When I was in 7th grade and walking around at my club swim meet with my knee length competition suit and my parka on, I thought I was hot shit. Would you like to know why I thought I was hot shit despite my raggedy, chlorine-filled hair and the fact that I was barely 13? It was because of the tunes powering my walk around the pool deck as my fourth pair of wired headphones that year indicated my indie-cool-manic-pixie-dream-girl status. Those tunes? The Regrettes.
I’ve loved this pop-rock band for about four years now, whether it was during “California Friends-” filled swim meets, listening to “Seashore” after my first (and currently most recent) relationship ended in 8th grade, or listening to “Holiday-ish” every Christmas as it’s one of the only Christmas songs I can tolerate. They, like several artists dear to my heart, have grown up with me. Now, as I approach the summer leading up to my senior year and a whole mess of change, all I asked the universe was that I could have a hot-girl-pop-summer-palooza soundtrack for the summer in which I can now drive, get a job, make bad decisions, fall in love, and eventually purchase scratchers. The Regrettes kissed the top of my little head and tucked me into bed, only for me to wake up to their latest album, Further Joy.
Though I will likely only do two of those things in the penultimate sentence of my last paragraph (take your pick), I will do it all with the Regrettes as my guardian angels. Ever since the album came out, I have been streaming it almost non-stop. It plays while I get my iced chai with vanilla cold foam and one pump of brown sugar almost every day because I am crawling to the finish line of this semester. It plays when we’re given free-time in Chemistry and I write articles like this while listening to music instead of doing my homework. It plays when I almost accidentally run over a biker while going 60 in a 30 because I’m trying to get home fast enough to take my afternoon nap. This album is a part of my life now, and it’s here to stay.
The resounding tone of this album is that of 1989 and Lover combined, making it a pop masterpiece for the ages. Each song is distinctive, catchy, and filled with care for the smallest details. Lydia Night’s vocals are to die for in every song and her voice will never get old to me. There’s a song for every mood, which is a staple in the longevity and shelf-life of a pop album. Further Joy is a triumph of the intersectionality between personal story-telling and mass media where the collaborative personality of the band shines through evidently throughout the entire album while still carrying a cohesive sound that could appeal to a majority of listeners.
I believe it was Lorde that once approximately said that the magic and art of pop music lie in its ability to express the emotions of a wide group of listeners, and that’s where artists delving into the pop side of their sound can lose their grip on what makes them artistically unique. When artists try to make a song that maybe isn’t happy, their attempt to turn it into a cohesive and digestible track often makes it lose its integrity as a genuine expression of emotion; however, the Regrettes are earnest with their offerings of emotions. This earnestness allows for an honest listening experience where the listener doesn’t feel like a consumer but rather the benefactor of the artist-fan relationship.
I absolutely love all of the more pop-focused songs like “Barely on My Mind” and “Monday,” but my favorites are a strange array of the more stylistically unique songs. I think my top songs are “Homesick,” “Better Now,” “Nowhere,” and “Anxieties,” but I genuinely listen to every song on this album daily with no bias. It’s tragic how underrated this band is, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to their tour. This album is about appreciating love, reviewing life lessons, and being a hot girl that is stressed sometimes. I can relate to at least one of those things.
I now have a PSA for the Regrettes.
Dear the Regrettes,
If you have somehow found this article, I have a message for you. First of all, you’re all hotties. Second of all, I have a proposition for you. As a superfan of all of your music (especially Further Joy), I am offering my services as an Almost Famous-esque journalist to chronicle your band’s journey as musicians for no fee: I would just like to watch you guys perform. I am writing this article on April 18th because I have been studying for AP exams, and after a quick Google, I realized that today is the day you are performing in Pomona, which would have been the best show for me to go to. If the roadie/journalist application falls through, I would like to offer my 18th birthday party happening at the end of this summer as a gig where I would hand over my college fund, since I missed the Pomona show. I hope you’ll offer serious inquiries through the blog’s gmail account that can be found on the home page. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Anna of Anna-log.
If you read that and you’re not a part of the Regrettes, you’re a freak. It is my constitutionally given right to maintain privacy, and you just violated it. I will only not contact my attorney if you listen to Further Joy on all music streaming platforms.