Regional Creeps - Friends Don't Wanna Leave

Barnsley-based four-piece Regional Creeps make it all sound so easy. When I think of the kind of indie I really love, I don’t think of stadiums. I think of three-chords and a breezy, melancholic melody echoing around a small but devoted audience. Bedsits insulated by obscure albums. I think of perfectly imperfect music that leaves the showing off to the arenas.

Yes, I know it’s the musical equivalent of pining for ‘jumpers for goalposts’ but it’s a serious business this indie-pop lark. What I’m trying to say is that Regional Creeps make the kind of indie I simply can’t get enough of.

‘Friends Don’t Wanna Leave’ is the bands second single and continues the good work. There’s a brilliantly laid-back melody, some well-placed whistling, and lyrics about the aftermath of a party. It’s a blissful paean to lethargy. At least that’s what I think it’s about. The suitably lo-fi video features a ghost playing the guitar and a brief shot of Mr. Motivator.

“Living in your bed/ televisions dead” sing co-vocalists Zach Duvall and Giannis Kipreos before offering up some sage advice, “go out, you’re a mess”. The fact that the whole thing sounds like The Pastels casually knocking out a dreamy, indie-pop classic right there in your kitchen only adds to the appeal.

Locked away in a “dusty and VHS ridden practice room” for two years, Duvall and Kipreos wrote the band’s debut album. We’ll get the album and 4 more singles before the years through. In the meantime, we’ve got ‘Friends Don’t Want to Leave’ to play on an endless loop. At least, that’s what I’ll be doing.