On the Regular

Last updated
"On the Regular"
Shamir - On the Regular cover.jpg
Single by Shamir
from the album Ratchet
ReleasedOctober 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)
Genre Hip house [1]
Length2:56
Label XL
Songwriter(s) [2]
Producer(s) Nick Sylvester [3]
Shamir singles chronology
"If It Wasn't True"
(2014)
"On the Regular"
(2014)
"Call It Off"
(2015)

"On the Regular" is a song recorded by American musician Shamir. It was released by XL Recordings on October 28, 2014. "On the Regular" is also featured on Shamir's 2015 debut album Ratchet . [4]

Contents

The song features a prominent rhythm with cowbell and heavy bass. [5] [6] Shamir uses an androgynous falsetto, delivering rhymes in contrast to his singing on Northtown . [5] [7] The lyrics are an unrelated set of observations. [5] Shamir taunts others and brags about his style. In the song's bridge, he switches from rapping to innocent, soulful singing. [8] Music critics referenced Azealia Banks' 2011 debut single "212" for its bassline, dance beat, and playful reinvention of urban music. [7] [9] [10] The Fader likened the song's "bubblegum hip-hop" to a younger-sounding Leif. [11]

It had viral success in the United Kingdom, [12] and it reached number 36 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart. [13] The attention brought by "On the Regular" allowed Shamir to embark on a European tour in late 2014. [14] It placed 68th on the 2014 Pazz & Jop poll of music critics. [15] Pitchfork Media named it the 11th best track of 2014, [16] Drowned in Sound placed the song 18th on its year-end list, [17] and BlackBook magazine ranked the song 12th. [18]

The music video for "On the Regular" was directed by Anthony Sylvester, [19] brother of the song's producer Nick Sylvester. [3] [20] It shows Shamir with different hairstyles, flashy patterns, and a fringe jacket. [11] He plays with a rubber band gun and makes balloons burst into color. [19]

Cover Versions

The French-Israeli duo Shirane Music  [ Wikidata ] released a cover version of the song in 2015. It was first aired on Israel's national radio station Reshet Gimmel during the duo's weekly radio show "Under the Cover"  [ he ] on August 21, 2015. [21] Shamir reacted to the release on his official Twitter account calling it "Amazing". [22]

References

  1. Treble staff (January 21, 2016). "10 Essential hip house tracks".
  2. "ASCAP Songview repertory entry for this song" . Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Werthman, Christine. "Shamir 'On the Regular'". Complex . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. Lathan, Ryan (May 20, 2015). "Ratchet". PopMatters .
  5. 1 2 3 King, Jason (October 30, 2014). "Shamir, 'On The Regular'". NPR . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  6. Oliver, Genevieve (October 29, 2014). "New: Shamir – 'On the Regular'". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Lester, Paul (December 24, 2014). "The playlist: the best new bands of 2014, with Shamir and Prada Mane". The Guardian . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  8. Gordon, Jeremy (October 30, 2014). "Shamir: 'On the Regular'". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  9. "Shamir airs infectious new video for 'On the Regular'". DIY . October 29, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. "Shamir + Yvette + Mister Small". Time Out New York . November 13, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  11. 1 2 McDermott, Patrick D. (October 28, 2014). "Shamir Is An Angel And XL Knows It". The Fader . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  12. "Spotify's Top 10 Most Viral Tracks". The New York Times . December 16, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  13. "Shamir - Chart history". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  14. Bland, Pete (January 2, 2015). "Singles 2014: 'She wears my favorite color/every day in her eyes'". Columbia Daily Tribune . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  15. "The Village Voice's 42nd Pazz & Jop Music Critics' Poll: The Last Word on the Year in Music". The Village Voice . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  16. Torres, Eric (December 2014). "The 100 Best Tracks of 2014". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  17. Leedham, Robert (December 8, 2014). "Drowned In Sound's 40 Favourite Songs of 2014". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  18. Rosenzweig, Mathias (2014). "The 20 Best Songs of 2014: From Nick Minaj and BANKS to Sam Smith and Sylvan Esso". BlackBook . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Minsker, Evan (October 28, 2014). "Shamir Shares 'On the Regular' Video, Signs to XL". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  20. "Channel Tres shares "Topdown" video". HighClouds. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  21. "Under The Cover radio show recording". SoundCloud. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  22. "Shamir's reaction to the release of the cover on his Twitter profile". Twitter. Retrieved September 26, 2021.