Interview by Kris Peters
Given the frenetic nature of the modern music industry and the avalanche of new songs and music bombarding consumers from every direction, it is of little surprise that new and emerging bands get drawn into the common misconception that more is better. More music means more opportunities means more new fans. Or so many believe.
But - and perhaps because of this - it can often be more beneficial to take a bit more time and actually immerse yourself in your craft, thereby producing quality over quantity.
Which is exactly what Australian post-hardcore/shoegaze outfit Regionals have done since bursting out of the gates with two EP's in early succession. Rather than saturate the market with new music, Regionals instead took another four years to produce their debut EP, using that time to fully develop their sound and grow into their music personalities in the process.
The result is the album Spoonbender which has been cast out into the world today with a renewed sense of hope and confidence that only time can yield. The band used those four years to experiment and develop their sound, culminating in a body of work that best represents themselves and their world view.
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.
HEAVY spoke with vocalist/guitarist Brett Islaub earlier this week to pry some more..
We discussed the thought process going into a debut album and what sorts of things the band took into account before diving into it. Brett highlighted the sonic diversity of the music, including the shift in musical direction and where it came from. He spoke about the singles released and how they represent the full album, and how varying degrees of experimentalismation contributed to the overall sound.
We discussed the album artwork and the meaning behind it, and the decision to take such a long period of time between releases and how that time benefited the process plus more.