In mid 2010, Regurgitator told fans they were planning to break away from the album format instead releasing music as it came to them.
On a completely unrelated note, next month will see Regurgitator release 'Invader' – their tenth studio album, and fourth since saying they weren't going to make albums anymore."We're an old-school band," guitarist and co-frontman Quan Yeomans says. "The album just makes sense to us somehow, and in the current musical environment nothing really makes sense. It's just getting weirder and weirder out there.
"I watched a video about developments in AI before I went to bed the other night and had an existential crisis. I will say, even though there was a lot of hard work that went into this album, it was also the most I've ever enjoyed the work and been satisfied by being in the zone of making it."
Fans were given their first taste of the album earlier this month with the release of 'This Is Not A Pop Song', the band's first new song in nearly six years (excluding their children's album from 2019) and their first-ever collaboration with the one and only Peaches.
A mix of dance-punk and electro-funk, it doubles down on the eccentricities of both artists – who have been kindred spirits since they met at the Big Day Out in 2002. "We've always had this connection," Yeomans says.
"I really wanted to work with an artist of that calibre who also has that longevity. She's an amazing, incredible performer and we've been fans of one another since day dot. I really appreciate everything she's done – I saw her show again last year at Northcote Theatre in Melbourne, and she's still just so awesome."
The album also sees Regurgitator working with Minjungbal/ Gudjinburra rapper JK-47 on the track 'Dirty Old Men' and – perhaps most unexpectedly of all – an Apalech author and academic named Tyson Yunkaporta on 'The Bastard Poem No-One Wanted'.
"His book 'Sand Talk' blew my mind – I'd never read anything like it," Quan says. "I'd done a theme song for his podcast, but I didn't ask for anything in return except a poem I could use on the album. He recorded it on his iPhone, and we added some doom-y soundscapes to enhance it a bit. It's a really key moment on the record for me."
Yeomans feels 'Invader' has the most "soul" of any Regurgitator album. While it still brandishes the band's unique humour and quirky alt-rock, it also proudly brandishes an anti-colonial and pro-Indigenous stance.
"The [Voice] referendum really sparked a feeling of discontent, and I wanted to address that more specifically. A massive shift needs to occur in this country to really understand the shackles we're all under."
A few weeks after it hits shelves, the Gurge will head out on an extensive 21-date national tour in support of it. They'll be joined by two of Australia's most weird-and-wonderful duos, Party Dozen and Cry Club, for most of it.
"I'm always surprised when our band is in the consciousness of younger artists," Yeomans says. "I guess they appreciate that we're risk takers, and you want that energy and fearlessness to still not give a f....
"Both bands are really lovely, and being able to tour with creatives like that is honestly really inspiring for a band like us. We're still doing weird sh.t."
'Invader' is released 26 April, 2024. Pre-order it.
Regurgitator 2024 Tour Dates
Fri 10 May - Odeon Theatre (Hobart)Sat 11 May - Forth Pub (Forth)
Sun 12 May - Du Cane Brewing (Launceston)
Thu 16 May - Barwon Club (Geelong)
Fri 17 May - Theatre Royal (Castlemaine)
Sat 18 May - Forum Melbourne
Thu 23 May - The River (Margaret River)
Fri 24 May - Rechabite (Perth)
Sat 25 May - Freo.Social (Fremantle)
Thu 30 May - Waves (Wollongong)
Fri 31 May - King St (Newcastle)
Sat 1 Jun - Roundhouse (Sydney)
Fri 7 Jun - The Gov (Adelaide)
Sat 8 Jun - The Baso (Canberra)
Sun 9 Jun - SS&A Club (Albury)
Thu 13 Jun - Beach Hotel (Byron Bay)
Fri 14 Jun - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
Sat 15 Jun - Open Season @ The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Thu 20 Jun - Seabreezes (Mackay)
Fri 21 Jun - The Dalrymple (Townsville)
Sat 22 Jun - Tanks Arts Centre (Cairns)
