Album Review: Regurgitator - 'Dirty Pop Fantasy' | theMusic.com.au | Australian music news, gig guide, music reviews

The 'Gurge triumphantly return with eighth studio album 'Dirty Pop Fantasy' – a more accurate album title one could not find. Stuffed full of infectious, cheekily playful numbers, the trio craft an unbelievably versatile slice of alternative... rock? Pop? Whatever... that dabbles in tragically 80's New Wave, summery indie and even the odd stadium rock ballad.

What's great about 'Dirty Pop Fantasy' – what's always been great about Regurgitator, really – is that despite, or perhaps because of Quan Yeomans, Ben Ely and Peter Kostic's penchant for unrestrained and fairly manic sonic exploration and experimentation, the album feels more like a showcase that demonstrates the capability of good pop aesthetics - however it's expressed stylistically - rather than a bunch of ill-fitting, mismatched tracks simply mashed together awkwardly. Regardless of how eclectic some of the ideas on 'Dirty Pop Fantasy' are, tracks like 'Sine Wave', 'My Little Terrorist' and 'We Love You!' maintain the confidence and charisma of the garage pop-punk that the band have had some two decades to master.

The “fantasy” part can't be understated, however. Make no mistake, Regurgitator do some seriously off-kilter stuff on 'Dirty Pop Fantasy'. Take 'Home Alone Stoned' - opening with an innocent enough synth line, it's seconds before the big, anthemic rock guitars kick in and the band start channelling Poison like nobody's business. Not one track later and 'Answering Machine' delivers an acoustic, almost-whispered track almost reminiscent of Nick Drake. A few tracks later and 'Can't Stop' is a full-on CLUB BANGER that'd probably feel at home on the dancefloor nestled among the likes of Justin Timberlake et al. It's almost frustrating how natural a journey it feels – it shouldn't fucking work this well!

And, of course, it's got all of the regular quirks that the band have become synonymous with. Opener 'Brain Brain' is a thirty second assault of synths and furious drum beats before switching over to some fuzzy, foreign A.M. Radio. Fast forward and 'Hong Kong' is the instrumental opening soundtrack to a dystopian sci-fi film. For any other band, these would feel gimmicky. For the 'Gurge, in the scope of this album, they simply add to the expansive wonderland the band have dreamt up.

Now in their twentieth year, one might worry that Regurgitator were starting to run out of ideas. On the contrary, they're as eccentric and imaginative as ever. Confident, diverse and still gleefully hyperactive, 'Dirty Pop Fantasy' is a refreshingly fun, flippant album from the Brisbane three-piece.

1. Brain Brain

2. Sine Wave