About 10 years ago, there was a thankfully short-lived movement to revitalize the mod scene, thanks to the likes of The Hives and a few others. While Hamilton’s Young Rival don’t go full hog trying it again, there is a more than a pinch of mod mixed in with the band’s garage rock-meets-melodic sensibility. “Got what you need” nods to early 54:40, and “The Ocean” is slick and laidback. But it’s when the band sinks its teeth in on tracks like “Modern Life” and “Authentic” that things get interesting.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2010.