Earlier this year, multi-instrumentalist Ilan Rubin got one of the biggest calls of his life. His bandmate Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails said they were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rubin was thrilled no doubt. But the news was reduced by the downplay of what was one of his proudest accomplishments- a release with his band The New Regime, that debuted in March.
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The New Regime’s Heart Mind Body and Soul received acclaim from the likes of Under the Radar, Hollywood Life and Modern Drummer, but ultimately observed a plateau amid the pandemic. In an attempt to give the record the shot it deserves, The New Regime devised a whole new release to follow. The deluxe version of the same release features demos, live tracks, and four new songs to accompany the original 16-track album.
“It initially came out at the worst time possible in March a week before lockdown,” Rubin told American Songwriter. “We were on tour at the time with Silversun Pickups, and everything was going great. It was like all this lead-up became non-existent, and it was unfortunate. It felt like this album didn’t really get its fair shake. And we had some demos, live stuff and some songs that didn’t make the record initially, so we had a vision for a deluxe version. It felt even more important to do that given that music disappeared for a while. It was a good way to bring life back into the album.”
One of the four new tracks listed on the deluxe edition is the single “The Writing on My Walls,” a complete funky alt-rock anthem. The three other new songs are “Walking on a Wire,” “Strange Addiction,” and “Twisted Tendencies.”
“I only do an album when I have enough music to fill it with,” Polonsky said. “At the time, I had 20 songs, which would’ve been far too much for an album these days. Even the initial release of 16 was quite a bit, but we got around that by releasing four songs at a time. It gave people time to digest the music. I was still really proud of the other four, but they didn’t mesh with the rest of the material. ‘The Writing On My Walls’ had a freshness after not hearing it for many months. And it was a cool song to focus on.”
Well-received by media upon its original release, Rubin remarks the material on Heart Mind Body and Soul as a style completely its own, vastly different from what he has done with Nine Inch Nails and other projects like Angels and Airwaves and Paramore. But even if subtle, Rubin said he has learned a thing or two from those experiences, despite how different his own music may sound.
“I’m the type who is always learning from something,” Rubin said. “Something I took from Tom (DeLonge) was his need for simplicity. And with Trent (Reznor), it was his way of making everything nuanced and deep sonically.”
Rubin’s endeavors, marked by his roles as drummer in Nine Inch Nails, Angels and Airwaves and Paramore plus countless tour spots, while being the youngest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, can be heavily credited to his supportive upbringing and family of musicians. His older brother Aaron grew up playing guitar before launching a career as a producer. Aaron is now The New Regime’s manager who also engineered Heart Mind Body and Soul. Rubin also had incredibly supportive parents, which is rare when a child says he wants to be a musician. But Rubin’s dad immediately saw his talent and fostered his every opportunity after introducing him to Led Zeppelin.
“My dad realized I had rhythm and could play drums, and he said, ‘Listen to this,’” Rubin remembered. “It was Led Zeppelin, still one of my favorites to this day. It was definitely a formative experience that set me down a path. Starting young and having an innate feeling of knowing what I wanted to do and never having the conversation with myself of ‘what if this doesn’t work out?’ allowed me to approach music full steam. I owe my parents everything really.”
Rubin’s family are not the only ones who can be credited for his status. At a young age, Rubin took it upon himself to learn as many instruments as he could, starting with drums. He expanded to piano and guitar afterwards. That knowledge and skill afforded him the creative freedom he needed to make solo music outside of his respective roles with Nine Inch Nails and others.
“I spent the vast majority of my time learning different instruments, and it wasn’t until I was 18 that I realized, ‘What’s the point if I can’t sing?’ Because that is what ties everything together,” Rubin said. “So that was the missing piece of the puzzle and out of necessity I forced myself to dive into it. And it really gave me complete musical freedom. I was able to do exactly what I wanted to as a writer. It’s the basis of where New Regime came from, and I haven’t looked back.”
Nine Inch Nails was officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Iggy Pop on November 7. Vocalist Trent Reznor accepted the invitation on the band’s behalf, and you can watch his online acceptance speech here. With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the center of his success, Rubin is ready to build on that prestigious foundation further with The New Regime. And it all continues with the deluxe edition of Heart Mind Body and Soul.
Heart Mind Body and Soul (Deluxe Edition) is available everywhere November 13, and you can listen here on Spotify. Tune into The New Regime’s upcoming livestream here on November 19.
