The Reatards (band)
| The Reatards | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
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| Years active | 1995-1999, 2005-2006 |
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The Reatards were an American garage punk band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1995. Originally a one-man project by guitarist Jay Reatard, the group's sound was marked by raw, stripped-down instrumentals and lo-fi recording quality. After distributing privately-pressed cassettes and EPs, most notably Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards, the band released their debut album Teenage Hate in 1995, followed by Grown Up, Fucked Up a year later. By 1999, the group only sporadically performed as Reatard began exploring other endeavors, but in 2005 he reformed the band for their third and final studio album. Much of the Reatards' discography remains a subject of interest, leading to reissues of their work years later.
Credited with directly inspiring his soujourn into music, the garage punk band the Oblivians' crude style motivated Jay Reatard to form his own one-man band, the Reatards, to record homemade demo tapes highly influenced by the Oblivians' distorted, lo-fi garage sound. His earliest recordings, completed when Reatard was 15 years-old, are extremely primitive; they were all completed on a four-track tape with Reatard providing vocals, guitar, and "drumming" on a bucket. Reatard was so enamoured with the Oblivians' music, he sent their guitarist Eric Friedl some of his home recordings, impressing Friedl enough to arrange a record deal on his independent label, Goner Records. In 1997, Goner distributed the Reatards' debut EP, titled Get Real Stupid, which featured four brief tracks with a running time under seven minutes.
Another Oblivians member, drummer Greg Cartwright, was impressed by Reatard's recordings and joined him for his second EP, Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards. By 1998, the Reatards evolved into a more proper band with the inclusion of guitarist Steve Albundy "Reatard" and drummer Ryan Elvis "Wong Reatard". The trio recorded and released their first studio album Teenage Hate, an assortment of gritty and manic punk fare, in the same year. Music critic Mark Deming described the album's sound as "teenage angst at its harshest", as well as "simple, but they're memorable, with actual hooks and bellow-along choruses to go with the heavyweight crash of the guitars, drums, and feral vocals". Along with band originals, Teenage Hate includes cover versions of Fear, the Dead Boys, and Buddy Holly.
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