Young Rival

Hailing from one of Canada’s handful of steel towns, Hamilton, ON’s Young Rival harbour sentiments of garage rock past on their self-titled EP. And it’s not surprising once you know that Emery Dobyns, who has worked with Lou Reed and Patti Smith, produced the six-song recording. Everything about Young Rival is short and punchy, from the titles to the chord progressions to the songs. Opener “Your Island” sounds like it belongs in the ’60s but manages to stay modern with its grunge rock hybrid riffs, and the psychedelic vibes of “4:15” make it sound like it should be called “4:20.” Pulling the best out of the past and mashing it up with the present isn’t an easy task but Young Rival do it and they do it well. This band sound worthy of the original Woodstock but could still find a place in the line-up if another incarnation of the festival cropped up today.