"Kingdoms will rise and fall and we'll be the same as before"

Let me just preface this article by telling you what I went through to review this album. I pre-ordered Pedals by Rival Schools on the 4th of March, four days before it was set to be released, and didn't receive it until the 25th of March. Not to mention it took three emails before I got any sort of response from the record label pertaining to my order, but I'll tell you what, I'd wait that long all over again.

After nearly a decade, Rival Schools finally released a follow up to 2001's United by Fate with Pedals. Instead of trying to rehash or imitate what they sounded like ten years ago, Rival Schools brings to the table an album that keeps the band's signature post hardcore/indie/alt rock sound but with enough tweaks to show that the members of this band have grown since their debut. In comparison to United by Fate, the approach Rival Schools takes on Pedals isn't as energetic, but it's alot more melodic and this works for them. Pedals sounds far more focused and confident than before, which is evidenced in songs like "Shot After Shot," in which the guitar riffs sound like something Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme would have written. Tracks like "Choose Your Own Adventure," which uses both synths and organs to create what I feel is one of the best tracks on the album, and "69 Guns," which sounds like what would happen if The Clash were a dance punk band, show the bands willingness to experiment with their sound.

Walter Schreifels's lyrics are well written and are more focused than they were on United by Fate. Schreifel's lyrics vary from first to third person, but always feel as if you're getting a peek into his personal life. You can see this in "Wring it Out" alone, with lyrics like, "You told me long ago to leave fate to itself, but I'm gonna need help/ The coast is clearly not on my side now, if it ever was" and "I have battles in my life to keep me distracted, or just a lame excuse for acting how I acted/ Pushing you away, it was too high a price to pay, I can see that now for miles and miles."

I, for one, hope that this isn't just some one-shot album Rival Schools did just to see if they still had it and they continue to release new material. We can only wait and see, but one thing's for sure, there's no way I can wait another 10 years for another album.

Verdict: 4/5 Small Doses
Sounds like: A summer soundtrack
Favorite tracks: "Wring it Out," "Choose Your Own Adventure," "Shot After Shot," "A Parts for B Actors"