New York rock three-piece Regal Degal are known around these parts for casting an expert spell over their audiences live—pummeling you with their wall-of-sound sonics while also drawing you in with their mantric incantations and contrapuntal rhythmics, sailing through each emotional crescendo with mysteriously devil-may-care flair. Produced in tandem with Terrible Records co-founder and Grizzly Bear member Chris Taylor, their sophomore album, Not Now, goes a long way toward bringing their music's almost Can-like complexity to the fore—and "Ruining My Life" is no exception, with its interlocking guitar parts and seamless blending of live and electronic drums. The vocals are hard to decipher—and probably more rhythmic than anything else—though lead singer and guitarist Joshua da Costa says the song's "about a guy lamenting a girl that he likes who can't help but fall prey to creeps and their sexual advances; it's also disco rodeo jam." Not Now is out via Terrible on May 19th, and you can pre-order it here.
Photo credit: Leah Shirley.