Biography
In 2009 the indie pop trio Regal Degal came together in Brooklyn, uniting singer and guitarist Josh da Costa with drummer Jamen Whitelock and bassist Josiah Wolfson. Early recordings displayed a raw, abrasive style of experimental rock that echoed 1970s Krautrock while also nodding to the more avant-garde wing of New York post-punk from the first years of the 1980s. Their initial release arrived in 2010 when Brooklyn label RVNG Intl. issued the 40-minute cassette Format Worth in a tiny pressing; the tape consisted largely of unstructured instrumental sketches. The band’s first vinyl outing followed in 2011 with the Speckled Fruit EP on Roti Records, an effort that highlighted a growing pop orientation shaped by New Zealand’s Flying Nun roster and closed with a 19-minute noise-rock piece occupying the entire B-side. After relocating to Los Angeles the musicians began working with Jimi Hey, whose résumé includes projects alongside Beachwood Sparks, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Glass Candy, and numerous other acts. Freed from the constraints of small Brooklyn rehearsal rooms, the group’s sound expanded into broader, more atmospheric territory. Their first full-length album, Veritable Who’s Who, surfaced in 2012 via Post Present Medium. Returning to Brooklyn, the trio connected with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, who added them to his Terrible Records roster. In 2013 they joined Grizzly Bear on tour and issued the five-track 12-inch Pyramid Bricks, whose material moved between hazy garage pop and drum-machine-driven post-punk disco. Co-produced by Taylor across sessions in Brooklyn and Berlin, the band’s second album Not Now appeared on Terrible Records in May 2015 and marked a further shift toward polished yet atmospheric psych-pop.
Albums
Singles
