Tracklist:
1. All Watched Over
2. Too Much, Too Little
April has been my most productive month so far this year in terms of reviews and there's still a couple of days to go! Some of you may remember my review of the Raccoon City Police Department record back in February, that was co-released by UK label Dog Knights Productions and new Aussie label Split The Dummy Records (it was actually the labels first). Well, Sam who heads the label up gave a shout after that review to let me know about Regresser and their new EP, which should see a tape release through the label this year. I had to check out, especially after Sam took the trouble and the time to contact me directly from the other side of the bloody world! So, some stuff about Regresser. They're from Newcastle (I'm not bitter about Australia stealing our city names!) and they put their first music out in 2014, two EP's titled .1 and .1b. They play a lot of shows and this year looks set to be a busy one. Heck, they recently played a hometown show supporting the mighty Norma Jean!
I approach Regresser with a completely open mind, having not written a review for the past five days. It’s good to have break sometimes but I’ve been aching to get back into it. All Watched Over in the first of two tracks on .2 and it starts with a brooding and atmospheric opening passage. It’s akin to post-hardcore, features clean vocals and a sax! Regresser blaze their own trail, with elements of jazz and whirring post-rock across this expansive track. At the five-minute mark their hardcore influence explodes into life and an enriching and affirming presence. This is anything but formulaic. There’s no pointless gap before Too Much, Too Little so none of Regresser’s momentum is lost. The solemn guitar takes on a country music sound and it’s certainly a laid back song. It follows the same approach as All Watched Over, with a softly-building and layered sound. There’s a really endearing quality about .2. One that begs attention from anyone listening. They don’t just go for a quick fix either, preferring to make their songs very spacial and by letting their collective progressive talents loose as a band. Too Much, Too Little gets noisier towards the end but just when you think it’s going to descend into walls of jarring feedback, the brakes are put on and it settles back down. Again, they leave the most intense emotions till the end. Two songs in eighteen-minutes is very good value from a band so new and .2 is definitely worth your time. I’d go as far to say that a lot of today’s more planted bands could learn a thing or two from Regresser. Listen to this!
Listen to .2 here:-
You can currently get this EP as a name-your-price-download from the band.
Keep an eye out for news on any impending tape release via the links below:-
Regresser Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/regresser
Spit The Dummy Records Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/wearespitthedummy
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