The Regrettes will release their third studio album ‘Further Joy’ on April 8th via Warner Records. The band have written a manual for living in these times, replete with highly personalized songs about things we’re all going through.
The band’s singing and songwriter Lydia Night says, “That phrase ‘further joy’ summarized what it meant to be on the hamster wheel of constantly chasing happiness, but in turn, that’s what makes you unhappy. I was stuck in a loop of wanting to be better, wanting to be good, and therefore I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t be present.” The desire to break free of that cycle is what ‘Further Joy’ is all about, a joyous and self-aware soundtrack for those interested in what Lydia refers to as “dancing the pain away.”
The Regrettes – completed by Genessa Gariano (guitar), Brooke Dickson (bass) and Drew Thomsen (drums) – launch the album by sharing the new song ‘That’s What Makes Me Love You’, as well as its music video which was directed by Claire Marie Vogel and Olivia Eberstadt.
Lydia adds, “I was in a dark anxious place and realised that I was becoming very critical of my partner. I got out of that place by realising, ‘I love this person for exactly who they are, and nothing needs to change about who they are or who I am to make each other happy.’ The song came from me flipping the narrative to ‘That’s not why I should be scared. That’s why I love you.’”
‘Further Joy’ is now available to pre-order HERE, with formats include CD, vinyl and download/streaming. A limited quantity of pink vinyl albums will also be available via select independent stores.
As the pandemic set in and Los Angeles shut down, The Regrettes were having a full-blown identity crisis. Lydia had been touring since she was 12-years-old, meeting guitarist Genessa when they were just teens in music school, and formed a cohesive line-up with Brooke and Drew. They’d spent the past two years headlining sold-out shows across North America and Europe, performing at mainstay festivals like Coachella, Reading and Leeds, and playing their hit singles on ‘Good Morning America’, ‘Conan’, and ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. As NME said of their second album, The Regrettes were “truly unstoppable” until the world shut down.
In January 2021, after more than a year apart, The Regrettes reconvened for a 10-day writing retreat in Joshua Tree. They went on hikes, stargazed, transformed their living room into a disco, and had candid conversations, some of which made their way into songs. They left the desert with a vision for the record and demos in hand, slowly bringing it to life through Zoom writing sessions, and working separately with producers Jacknife Lee and Tim Pagnotta. Although the subject matter is anything but light, Lydia still calls it the “poppiest, and danciest” album they’ve ever made.
The band were quick to get back on their feet, selling out a California underplay tour in 2021, and releasing two songs, ‘You’re So Pretty’ (Rolling Stone: “A brutally honest confessional ballad that captures The Regrettes’ effortless transformation from teenage punks into pop powerhouses”) and ‘Monday’, which cracked the Top 15 at alternative radio.
‘Further Joy’ is a step into the band’s next era, and it is their most actualised, collaborative, and vulnerable album to date. These new songs, written in Lydia’s singular voice and with vast influences including Pat Benatar, Blondie, and Gwen Stefani, touch on subjects such as anxiety and mental health, feeling lost in one’s own environment, and coming to terms with one’s sexuality. They are also about hope, embracing and standing up for your inner child. A lesson Lydia hopes fans can take away from the album is that, “We all deserve happiness and to be present, and we’ll never get there if we feel so much shame and guilt for not being there already. Don’t get caught constantly chasing joy.”
The Regrettes are currently embarking upon their ‘Get The Hell Out of LA’, which they’ll follow with their ‘Further Joy’ headline tour, while upcoming festival dates include TRSNMT, Coachella and Bonnaroo. Please see their website for a full list of shows and ticket details.
