Chastity Belt - No Regrets: 10th Anniversary LP (Black & White Vinyl)

On December 29, 2012, three songs into Chastity Belt's first KEXP in-studio, something extraordinary happened: they shared "Black Sail" with the world. That year, I'd seen Chastity Belt play countless basement, bar, and DIY shows all over Seattle, but nothing could've prepared me for how my friends turned patience and quiet observation into something so affecting and effortlessly cool. Ten years later, "Black Sail" isn't just a fan favorite-it's practically a statement of purpose for the great albums that followed. But before those records, there was No Regerts: the sound of four friends evolving from a party band into a "real" one (whatever that means) in real-time. They're above it all on "Seattle Party, " "Happiness, " and "Evil, " but remain the sirens of Whitman College's cursed frat houses-see the explosive choruses of "James Dean, " "Healthy Punk, " and "Pussy Weed Beer." When No Regerts came out in the summer of 2013, Seattle-and the world at large-took notice. I still hear these songs in surprising places, and they still surprise me-just as they did a decade ago. If you missed out the first time, this is your second chance.