By Caroline Ackerman
3.5/5 Stars
High school garage punks the Regrettes released their newest album “Feel Your Feelings Fool” in late January. And honestly, it’s chock full of anti-Valentine’s Day anthems. The first song on the release “I Don’t Like You” kicks off the 15-track album with assertive punk-influenced vocals and shameless lyrics, including “You say hello, I want to die.”
“Feel Your Feelings Fool” discusses a variety of different relationships and the emotions that come with those relationships. From platonic friendship, to unrequited love, to self-love, the Regrettes cover it all, which is what makes the album a perfectly defiant soundtrack to Valentine’s Day loathing.
The 15-year old lead singer of the Regrettes Lydia Night manages to sing in the vein of seasoned artists like Courtney Barnett and Adult Mom. Her attitude is downright gritty and honest, and she refuses to hold back. The second track on “Feel Your Feelings Fool,” “A Living Human Girl,” was released late last year as a single and received enough attention to land the band a gig during the Echo Park Rising festival. “A Living Human Girl” is for every young woman who might feel unable to take ownership of normal bodily functions. “I can be brave and I can be bold, no matter what you have to say,” Night shouts.
The thread of feminism and patriarchal expectations is followed throughout “Feel Your Feelings Fool,” and is most clearly displayed in the intro of “Ladylike/WHATTA BITCH,” when Night softly chants:
“Be soft, be shy, read a book and learn to cook. Be nice, be dumb, clean the floors and wash your pores. Be light, be small, wear a dress below your knees not less. Be insecure, be a wife, cater to a man for the rest of your life.”
Night continues the song by telling a third-person story of rejecting a boy at school. The story feels just enough like high school gossip to discuss the immaturity that arrives with finding love. On the track, “How It Should Be,” Night sings, “I don’t want you because I don’t need you.” “Feel Your Feelings Fool” is about finding your footing in relationships, and determining what is important and what—or who—can be tossed out. “Going through the motions feels like drowning in the ocean,” Night sings in “Bronze.”
Whether you’re comfortable with being alone this Valentine’s Day or sucking down Smirnoff with a straw, “Feel Your Feelings Fool” is the perfect way to cope with a variety of confusing emotions. Whether you’re dealing with being newly single, losing a close friend or feeling weird about how proud you are of your hairy legs, put your headphones in and listen to the comforting sounds of someone dealing with similar issues. My personal favorite track off the album? “Seashore.”
