Out now on the always fabulous Mom's Basement Records, we have the first album in over 18 years from Los Angeles–based pop-punk veterans Regal Beagle. The band is best known for its 2007 Joe King–produced LP A Little Tide Up, but it has been around for more than 30 years now. Also produced by Joe King, Take it Back legitimately finds Regal Beagle sounding the best it ever has. With this being a Regal Beagle album on Mom's Basement Records, you ought to know what to expect. This is first-rate pop-punk in the vintage Lookout! Records by way of the Ramones mold. And a la label mates Goin' Places and The Young Hasselhoffs, Regal Beagle smashes the myth of pop-punk being strictly a young person's genre. Proper adult life provides all kinds of inspiration for songwriting. And while a few of these songs might follow the ever-reliable "dumb in a good way" recipe, many are quite thoughtful and profound. With its just-right blend of silly and serious lyrics, Take it Back really hits the sweet spot for what grown-up pop-punk ought to be. From start to finish, these songs are sure to get you singing along and vigorously bobbing your head. Good pop-punk is never really about originality. It's about enthusiasm and execution, and this album earns high marks in both departments. This is a fun album to listen to, and you can tell these guys had fun making it. It's hard to go wrong when you start from there. And yes, the producer's influence on this record is undeniable. If you thought that was a bad thing, you would not have read this far.
One thing I appreciate about Mom's Basement Records is that this is a label that knows its pop-punk history and respects great tunes above all else. This is a label that will not only go out and find some of the best new talent in the pop-punk world but also put its weight behind veteran talents that deserve to be heard. It can be fun to seek out the hot new thing, but sometimes you have to give the masters their due. In a world that sometimes fails to value quality over quantity, Regal Beagle offers up a model worthy of emulation: put out two albums in 30 years and have them both be totally killer. If you love pop-punk, Take It Back is not to be missed!
https://regalbeaglesgv.bandcamp.com/album/take-it-back
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