STORY / ERICA HAWKINS
PHOTOS / KRIS FUENTES CORTES
The Regrettes were raised right. Or maybe they raised themselves. Regardless, they have an air of assuredness about them that entices you to want to be confident too — confident enough to wear your emotions on your sleeve, to call out the music industry from the inside out, and to bare your soul more readily when it comes to political and cultural stigmas.
I’d blame their bravery on their youth– as many previous publications have defined them as a “teen band”– but you forget their age when speaking with them since they’re wise beyond their years. Lead vocalist Lydia Night, guitarist Genessa Gariano, bassist Sage Chavis, and drummer Maxx Morando met in music school before reveling in American punk rock music in their hometown of Los Angeles. Since then, they’ve released an EP titled Hey in 2015 and their first single, “A Living Human Girl,” in June 2016. Their superbly titled EP Attention Seeker was released earlier this year, with a follow up slated for 2019. Just a few weeks ago, they shared that Chavis would be leaving the band behind (on good terms), but before all that, we sat crossed legged hiding from the Lollapalooza sun, under an oversized oak tree and talked about speaking up, the power of vulgar words, and how being blunt works.
I saw you at the ACE Hotel show last night, and I had the chance to hear your lyrics. They’re very direct, very much straight from a diary. There’s not a lot of floweriness. Do you find it hard to write that way?
Lydia Night: No, not for me. I was raised in a very honest “being blunt works” way. That’s just how I am as a person and that shines through in our music. That’s how I personally am and so — yeah, it’s not hard to do because I’ve just been raised to.
When it comes to playing live like last night and at the festival today, which lyrics do you feel resonate the most with fans and which songs do they seem to be most excited about?
Sage Nicole: This is going to sound really stupid, but in “Seashore” just saying “fuck you” — it feels really good to say and to hear. I think even though it’s just a vulgar word, it means a lot more to people and you can make your own reading into what you’re saying fuck you to. It could be any feeling that you’re having or a feeling toward someone else that you’re having. It’s a powerful moment.
You have been very open when it comes to your thoughts on political and cultural issues. Why do you feel like it’s so important for people to know what your stance is on things outside of your music?
Genessa Gariano: I feel powerless a lot, so when I find I can do something to make a change, I want to share that with people who don’t know me or who do know me.
Do you feel like the music industry and/or other musicians are doing a good job of taking a stance in what they believe in?
Lydia Night: People seem a lot more aware now than ever and a lot more accepting of others. There’s still obviously a lot of issues in the industry and a lot of the industry is really nasty, but right now it feels like a really special time where people finally are feeling like they can speak up because other people are speaking up and showing that it’s fine — It’s okay. It’s actually now looked down upon if you aren’t speaking up or if you aren’t being yourself. So yeah, I think it’s cool to watch that grow and develop.
Sage Nicole: I would say my biggest problem with it is that there’s a lot of people that are still so powerful and they choose to not voice their opinion simply because they’re scared to lose followers or they’re scared to start a conversation because they don’t know what they’re talking about and they’re just saying something to say something. I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s a scary thing when people don’t do anything. Your action and your change is the most important thing you can leave behind in this world.
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