For their first album since their 2018 debut LP In the Promise of Another Tomorrow (and Flatspot Records debut), New York hardcore band Regulate are taking the leap and pushing their sound in all kinds of new directions. They've still got no lack of chunky, tough-as-nails hardcore, but they also channel furious Latin rhythms on "Ugata" and they've got super catchy alternative rock-infused songs like "In The Moment," "In This Life And The Next (H.H.C.)," and the catchiest of them all, "Hair." Given the way Regulate bridge the gap between hardcore and alt-rock, it's hard not to compare them to Turnstile (and I think Glow On fans would definitely like this album), but they don't seem like copycats or bandwagon jumpers. Their musical interests are expanding, and this new LP feels like a natural jump for them.
Regulate also match their musical growth with some of vocalist Sebastian Paba's hardest-hitting lyrics yet. The aforementioned "Hair" addresses the implicit racism in Eurocentric beauty standards, and Sebastian also addresses the oppressed working class ("Work"), police brutality and abuse of power ("C.O.P."), race-based killings ("The Crime"), gentrification ("New York Hates You"), and much more. It's loud, aggressive, cathartic music with a purpose.
To give us a better feel for the music that inspired the direction of Regulate's new LP, the band made us a list of music that inspired it, which ranges from James Brown to Bloc Party to Crown of Thornz to Bad Brains to Santana. Check out their list, and what they had to say about each pick, below.
8 ALBUMS THAT INFLUENCED REGULATE'S REGULATE
Sebastian Paba (vocals):
James Brown - The Payback
Attitude, style, passion and talent. James had it all going for him. He’s a template for performers on stage and in the studio.
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
A perfect record that builds drama and anticipation. Too many artists care more about the pay off than the build up, but how good can that pay off be without a build? I kept that in mind the whole time we recorded our record.
Michael Botti (guitar):
Crown of Thornz - Train Yard Blues
This album was a direct influence for writing “In The Moment”. I was listening to all of their work while writing and I think it comes through.
Bad Brains - I Against I
This is an obvious one to me. I think I’m always pulling from this record when writing for Regulate and their music has had an impact on the whole band.
Harry Corrigan (drums):
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Coming at this from a drums and percussion perspective, I love how this album incorporates world music instruments in the songs. We definitely tried to incorporate that into our new LP to add some layers and depth.
Santana - Santana
Undeniable groove and swag on this one. If you listen closely to “Ugata” you can hear the influence pulled from this album.
Jarred Chan (guitar):
Everybody Gets Hurt - The Dark Seeds Of Man
This was a formative record when I was getting into hardcore and I’m constantly drawing influence from it years later.
Babymetal - Metal Resistance
My favorite band of all time. The foundation of Babymetal was to create its own identity and not stick in a mold. Each track on this album explores a different sound/energy of their genre and I like to think we did something similar on our new album.
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Regulate's upcoming dates also include a show with one of those influences, Crown of Thornz, in New Haven. All dates and a couple videos from the album below.
Regulate -- 2022 Tour Dates 10/8 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom w/ E.Town Concrete + Incendiary 10/9 - Philadelphia, PA @ The F.U. Church w/ Life’s Question + Hangman 11/5 - New Haven, CT @ State House w/ Crown of Thornz 12/10+11 - Bogata, Colombia @ 100% Hardcore Fest
