Ben Cook wears dark, chunky sunglasses when he performs as his indie-pop act, Young Guv. Put one way, his thick, plastic rims are shorthand for his musical inspirations—Elvis Costello’s effusive power-pop, the Gallaghers’ psychedelic glam rock. But paired with the hazy tracks on Young Guv’s third LP, GUV I, the frames serve as a disguise: Forget about Ben Cook, guitarist for Toronto hardcore icons Fucked Up. For 23 minutes, Cook transports himself to a simpler time, one that may exist only in indie rom-coms, when watching clouds go by or lying around in bed amounted to romance. But maybe that’s reading too much into it; maybe, on an album bursting with sunshine, the shades are simply a practical choice.
Young Guv’s version of nostalgia is less a carbon copy of a particular genre or decade than a drive-by tour of archetypes. Where 2015’s Ripe 4 Luv or last year’s 2 Sad 2 Funk respectively leaned into yacht rock’s theatrics and nu-disco’s syrupy synths, GUV I recalls the grainy, jangly melodicism of college rock. From the opening movie clip about dropping out of society to the tambourine that kicks off “A Boring Story,” it’s easy to imagine these songs spinning on a dusty college-radio turntable, or blasting from the middle of the quad on a bright spring day.
Cook isn’t shy with his references. “Every Flower I See” is a love letter delivered with an earnestness to match its ringing cymbals and fuzzy major chords, and the first line of the chorus—“Don’t go now”—brings to mind a similarly gushy refrain from Teenage Fanclub. Though anyone with a passing knowledge of C86 will hear plenty that rings familiar, GUV I still manages to find new shades within power-pop’s broader palette. The somber acoustic guitar and vocal harmony of “Roll With Me” feels like an Elliott Smith cover band, until a metallic guitar halfway through takes the track on a dreamier path. The bluesy harmonica on “A Boring Story” adds a playful detour to an otherwise slow and ambling closer.
But such diversions from the formula are the exceptions on a largely homogeneous record. Even at only 23 minutes, the songs start to blend together—ringing guitars and reverb-distorted vocals can only combine in so many ways before they start to resemble the Byrds’ Pandora station. At times GUV I can feel like indie rock cosplay, especially coming from a shapeshifter like Cook. When an artist genre-hops with such agility and totality, with titles and performances as goofy as Young Guv’s can be, it’s harder to lose yourself in the familiar comforts of a fuzz pedal and a charmingly off-key vocal. Even so, there’s an ease to the mimicry; the chiming chords on “High On My Mind” sound like the Bats, and the Bats sound like a laconic Saturday afternoon.
Moreover, Cook is a pop poet—his credits as a ghostwriter for artists like Sum 41 and Taylor Swift outshine his heavier origins here—and his sweetly romantic lyrics and “yeah yeahs” are a natural fit for dusty guitars. His lovelorn anxiety can feel nostalgic in itself: “I am rocky waters/And you are crystal clear,” he sings on “Patterns Prevail,” as if matters of the heart could be so black and white. His most memorable lyrics are just quirky enough to stand out, yet general enough to attach to any romance. “Do you ever watch the clouds while remembering me?” he asks, gently hopeful. As a refrain, it’s awkward—a bit wordy, a bit stoned. But for members of the New Sincerity crowd who own too many band tees, that’s not such a bad thing.
