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Regurgitator

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Regurgitator (Music)
L-R: Peter Kostic, Quan Yeomans, Benjamin Ely

Regurgitator is an Australian rock-pop-alternative band hailing from Brisbane, Australia. Establishing themselves in the mid-1990s as part of the new wave of Australian alternative rock bands that broke out during this period, the band managed to build their career on their Genre Mashup style of electronica/hip hop-infused punk pop rock, their frequently ribald lyrics and their experimentation with different forms of music creation and fan engagement.

Formed in 1993 by Quan Yeomans (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Benjamin Ely (bass/vocals/keyboards) and Martin Lee (drums), they started as a stripped-down punk-alternative band, a period that saw the release of their debut album, Tu Plang, in 1996, which put them on a lot of radars thanks to the success of singles "Kong Foo Sing" and "Miffy's Simplicity", while also courting controversy over its lyrical content, best exemplified by the single "I Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am". That same controversy also helped to solidify their fanbase, who gravitated to the band's off-kilter sensibilities and outrageous sense of humour.

The following year saw Regurgitator release the album Unit, which quickly became their breakout hit, going Platinum three times over and winning the ARIA Award for Album of the Year, spearheaded by the singles "Everyday Formula", "Polyester Girl", "! (The Song Formerly Known As)", "Black Bugs" and "Modern Life". Unit saw a shift in the band's sound, embracing more of an electronica pop sound compared to Tu Plang's punk rock vibe. The follow-up, ...art, continued that electronica influence and was even more successful, seeing singles "Happiness" and "Freshmint!" break into the American market. Between the two albums, the band established themselves as one of the most exciting and experimental bands of the Aussie Alt-Rock scene.

...art was also the last album with original drummer Lee, who left shortly afterwards due to creative differences and was replaced by Peter Kostic. Following Kostic's joining, Regurgitator released Eduardo and Rodriguez Wage War on T-Wrecks, which saw the band embracing their experimentation with an album a lot more heavily-infused with hip hop and electronica influences than previously, while also hearkening back to their initial punk roots. They would continue to push this sense of experimentation with their later releases, including 2004's Mish Mash!, which was created as part of a reality TV project entitled Band in a Bubble, featuring the band writing and recording the album whilst locked in a publically-viewable glass studio in the middle of Melbourne's Federation Square.

Over the course of their career, the band has become known for their envelope-pushing lyrics and sense of fun, which has helped them to maintain a career even as most of their contemporaries in the 90s Aussie rock scene either broke up or went on to other things.


Current Members:

  • Quan Yeomans - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards (1993-present)
  • Benjamin Ely - Bass, Vocals, Keyboards (1993-present)
  • Peter Kostic - Drums (1999-present)

Former Members:

  • Martin Lee - Drums (1993-1998)
  • Seja Vogel - Keyboards, Backing Vocals (2007-2010)

Discography:

  • Regurgitator EP (1993)
  • New EP (1995)
  • Tu Plang (1996)
  • Unit (1997)
  • ...art (1998)
  • Eduardo and Rodriguez Wage War on T-Wrecks (2001)
  • Mish Mash! (2004)
  • Love and Paranoia (2007)
  • Super Happy Fun Times Friends (2011)
  • Dirty Pop Fantasy (2013)
  • Headroxx (2018)
  • The Really Really Really Really Boring Album (2019)note 
  • Invader (2024)

My Polyester Tropes (So Shiny!)

  • Biting-the-Hand Humor: Somewhat downplayed, but "I Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am" follows the singer doing exactly this to get ahead in his career. It's a downplayed example due to the fact that it's not ever specified exactly which industry the singer's referring to, which allows it to cover the music industry as well as practically any other big business.
  • Casting Couch: "I Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am".
  • Companion Cube: The titular "Polyester Girl" is clearly meant to be this, although Quan at least demonstrates enough self-awareness in the lyrics to acknowledge it.
  • Donut Mess with a Cop: "Fat Cop" doesn't mention donuts specifically, but watching a cop eat one inspired Ben Ely to write the song.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: Their first two EPs and Tu Plang were more simple punk-alternative rock, compared to the more electronica-infused, pop-heavy sound they used from Unit onwards.
  • Genre Mashup: Although fundamentally an alternative band, they've built their career on blending many other elements into their sound, including electronica, hip hop, pop, pop-punk, and even elements of progressive rock. The end result has been a career where nobody can expect what their next release will sound like.
  • Genre Roulette: This trope is present in most of their albums. They've tackled indie rock, hardcore punk, rap-rock, Spaghetti Western, musak and dub, and that's just their debut.
  • Miniscule Rocking: "1 2 3 4" is 53 seconds long.
  • New Sound Album:
    • Unit became this for their earlier, punk-rock era. The first single, "Everyday Formula", was the closest to their old sound and was deliberately chosen as the first single in order to ease existing fans into the rest of the album.
    • They've released a children's album. Yes, you read that right, no, it wasn't some ironic joke, and yes, it actually did well.
  • Shout-Out: "! (The Song Formerly Known As)" is a tribute to Prince, with the song's structure and production specifically designed to emulate the Purple One.
  • Shy Bladder: "I Piss Alone". "I piss alone, 'cause I don't want nobody to know/that I haven't got the pressure of some of the other boys/they make a noise that scares me so".
  • The Unpronounceable: "! (The Song Formerly Known As)".

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