It’s been a hell of a year for Regressive Left so far, with the trio receiving sizeable crowds at festivals up and down the UK – including their appearances at The Great Escape and Wide Awake, playing at Best Kept Secret festival and supporting Folly Group. Now, it is finally time for the much-loved Luton trio to share their debut EP, On The Wrong Side Of History, with the world.
The EP opens with previous single, and title track, ‘On The Wrong Side Of History’, which stands tall at a daring 8-minutes long. Propelled by stand-out synth work which is not too dissimilar from that of the likes of LCD Soundsystem, the track builds into a hypnotic number which demands the listeners attention.
Regressive Left position themselves as a committed, political band that shy away from the post-punk genre, providing commentary on the UK’s sociopolitical landscape and the effects it is having on individuals but portraying these issues through danceable fun-filled tracks.
‘World On Fire’ is a perfect example of that, where the upbeat, manic energy of the song juxtaposes its true meaning. Here, the vocal harmonies of drummer and backing vocalist, Georgia Hardy, effortlessly bring the track to life, as they pave the way for lead vocalist Simon Tyrie’s stream of consciousness to be uncovered as he describes the world to be ‘like a trust fund’.
Continuing to allow the trio to soar, ‘Bad Faith’, features a guest appearance from Valentine Caulfied, from Manchester-based experimental band Mandy, Indiana, quoting French psychoanalyst Octave Mannoni’s paradoxical mechanism, ‘“Je sais bien, mais quand même.”, which translates to ‘I know very well, but even so…’ as Regressive Left continue to provide lyrical commentary on counterproductive political media which is overly concerned with bad faith arguments.
Closing the EP is ‘No More Fun’ – a fizzy, wild ride which allows the separate layers of Regressive Left to have their moment in the spotlight, holding a chorus that really does soar and infectious guitar and synth notes which then see the EP come to an abrupt close.
Full to the brim of political commentary and social observation, The Wrong Side Of History sees Regressive Left take a raw, honest look at the state of Great Britain whilst providing listeners with tracks that they can dance their hearts out to.
