After releasing two EP’s in the formative years of the band, “Sentimental Health” and “Teenage Séance”, Regionals have taken four years to experiment and develop their sound culminating in a body of work that best represents themselves and their world view.
Recorded during the winter of 2023 at Parliament studios with Lachlan Mitchell (The Jezabels, The Laurels, Totally Unicorn) and mixed & mastered by Mark Perry (Deafcult), the band succeeded in reshaping their sound, whilst adding in the light & shade of lush, atmospheric textures and jangly guitars with the abrasive attack of heavy guitars and vocal screams.
Regionals have previously toured the East Coast of Australia in support of their previous releases and have also supported Pianos Become the Teeth (USA), Blind Girls, Outright, Jacob, Strangers, Fear Like Us and Have/Hold.
About Regionals
Regionals are a band who exist on the margins. The margins of introspection and belligerence, the margins of intensity and subtlety, the margins of being present, but never really there.
“This is the bands truest form”, states Regionals singer/guitarist Brett Islaub when discussing the bands debut album Spoonbender.
Born from darkness, isolation induced agoraphobia and an unhealthy dose of self reflection, Spoonbender marks a change of course for the Sydney band, showcasing their sound as more extreme and experimental than previous releases.
About’ 291’
Brett: 291 is mostly a song about a dream. It’s a reference to an inside joke between Aaron and I that we’ll never tell. We feel like this song is the best representation of the band we have wanted to be since the previous release. Having Vetty lend her voice really finished the song for me, felt like the missing piece. One of the first songs first demo’d for Spoonbender back in 2020 the song has had many iterations but like I said, probably the best representation of Regionals to date.
Aaron: This track was built on a jangly, heavily delayed guitar riff that is a complete nod to my love of Johnny Marr’s guitar playing, but the track is nothing like a Smiths song. When Brett first tracked the demo vocals for this track and started screaming in the chorus, it completely changed the direction of this track and ultimately the whole record. It was one of the moments in songwriting where something unexpected clicks everything into place. This track is a great representation of where Regionals are at right now, the verses are dreamy and lush, but the chorus hits you in the face.
