After a significant four-year journey of musical evolution, the Sydney-based band REGIONALS have released their much-anticipated debut album, Spoonbender. This album follows their earlier EPs, Sentimental Health and Teenage Séance, marking a bold new chapter in the band’s interesting sonic exploration.
Recorded in the winter of 2023 at Parliament Studios, with the expert guidance of producer Lachlan Mitchell (known for his work with THE JEZABELS, THE LAURELS, and TOTALLY UNICORN), and mixed and mastered by Mark Perry (DEAFULT), Spoonbender showcases REGIONALS’ ability to blend atmospheric textures with the raw power of heavy guitars and intense vocals. The result is a sound that is as lush and expansive as it is abrasive and confrontational.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Brett Islaub speaks candidly about the creation of Spoonbender. He describes it as the record he is most proud of, a culmination of lessons learned over years of artistic and personal growth.
The album captures a darker, more direct lyrical approach than anything the band has produced before. Islaub acknowledges that the process was not without its challenges, particularly during the mixing phase, which he describes as a source of “severe anxiety.” Despite this, the band’s shared vision and commitment to experimentation helped them navigate the creative process, ultimately leading to an album that truly represents their artistic identity.
Spoonbender dives into themes of personal introspection, anxiety, and the struggles of self-identity, often interwoven with fictional elements and external influences.
“Sour Ground” blends personal reflections on isolation-induced anxiety with fictional narratives inspired by media content Brett was consuming at the time. “Spoonbender,” the album’s title track, serves as a bridge between the band’s earlier work and their current direction, lyrically exploring darker themes while still maintaining a connection to their previous sound.
“291” is a dreamlike exploration, rooted in an inside joke between band members, yet it also touches on broader themes of personal evolution and the band’s identity.
Tracks like “Happiness for Bastards” mix personal experiences with literary references, particularly drawing from the works of Stephen King and Haruki Murakami, as well as the TV show Dark. “Doom Loop” delves into the heaviest and most intense aspects of the band’s sound, mirroring the lyrical themes of tension and conflict.
Guitarist Aaron adds that Spoonbender was written over a span of three years, a significant contrast to the rushed production of their earlier releases. This time, REGIONALS had the luxury of crafting a more cohesive album, allowing for extensive pre-production and experimentation. For the first time, the band wrote and recorded with three guitarists, which enabled them to explore their heavy shoegaze influences more deeply. The album is rich with layers, featuring additional instrumentation such as synths, pianos, drum machines, and samples, all contributing to its distinctive sound.
REGIONALS exist in a space that defies easy categorization. Their music balances between introspection and aggression, subtlety and intensity. As Brett Islaub puts it, Spoonbender represents the band’s “truest form,” a reflection of the darkness, isolation, and self-reflection that has shaped their artistic journey. The album is a departure from their previous work, embracing a more extreme and experimental sound that is both a product of and a reaction to their experiences over the past few years.
REGIONALS will officially launch their debut album *Spoonbender* with a live performance at The Chippo Hotel in Sydney on Friday, September 6th, 2024. The show, which kicks off at 8 PM, will feature support acts SUN RUN, LOWE, and FUTUREHEAVEN. Tickets are available via Oztix.
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One of the most intriguing aspects of Spoonbender is the diverse range of influences that have shaped its sound. REGIONALS have drawn inspiration from a variety of sources, each contributing to the album’s unique atmosphere.
Below you can find top five influences that played a pivotal role in the creation of Spoonbender.
Cloakroom – Dissolution Wave
I have been obsessed with this album long before it came out. During the pandemic Cloakroom did a live in studio streaming performance where they basically played the entirety of this album a year or so before it was released and I watched that set over and over and over by the time the album came out it only made me love the album more in terms of all the added instrumentation. Cloakroom create a lot of space in their music and songs breathe but have the most simple and effective melodies so that was definitely an influence on Spoonbender. Every song on this album is amazing.
Drop Nineteens – Delaware
Aaron and I are both big drop nineteens fans, specifically their seminal 1992 album “Delaware” which you can hear the influence of on songs of ours like Dialect where there is a loop created that subtly changes over the course of a song but is driven by the melody. Songs like Winona and Kick The Tragedy just have such great guitar tones they were also an influence on the record from a pedals perspective mixing distortion into big swelling reverb and delay.
Deafheaven – Infinite Granite
Deafheaven’s Infinite Granite record was a big influence on the clean tones on this record in terms of lots of swelling reverbs and delays with clean bright chords. Another influence from a samples and synths perspective as well. Songs like Great Mass of Color have these fantastic jangly guitars that we loved and were anothe influence on guitar tones.
Fearing – Shadow
I love everything Fearing does including the Black Sands EP but Shadow was a big influence in wanting to take a darker direction. Whilst not as dark in comparison it was more the permission for us to feel like we could do whatever we want, which we could cos who gives a shit? But also a lot of the synths that we put on Spoonbender were influenced by Shadow. Especially songs like Trail of Grief and Catacombs.
TV SHOW: Dark
So I’m cheating slightly here but Dark (Netflix) was a big influence on this record and I have watched all three seasons every year since they were released. The show is difficult to explain but it is incredibly multilayered story taking places across multiple time periods. It was a lyrical influence on songs like Spoonbender and Doom Loop where linked with lines around personal experience there are references to the show in there as well.
