Rival Schools: Good Things

When Rival Schools released their debut LP, United By Fate, in 2001, it was pretty much a godsend. Staring down hordes of squeaky-clean pop clones and a generally unhealthy obsession with nu-metal, here was a mature and wholly unique rock band that managed to offset such mediocrity and stand alone in its own skin. The album offered its fair share of hooks too, particularly Used For Glue, which became an MTV2 mainstay. As such, it didn't take much for folk to catch on.

Still, after flirting with commercial success and enjoying nearly two solid years on the road, Rival Schools – a band whose collective CV reads like a handbook to the New York hardcore underground (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, CIV, Glassjaw) and in turn, are perhaps one of the most promising and interesting acts to crawl out from the 90s 'alt-rock' rubble – somehow managed to slip through the cracks.

“I think we just felt a little burnt out,” the band's affable frontman Walter Schreifels explains. “We made [United By Fate]  and went through all the processes; we toured the world, we went to Australia, Japan, the States, Europe and it was a lot of fun, but towards the end it was like a few years had passed. We were all trying do a few different things and what was at first supposed to be a short break turned into a much longer one.”

As all four members went on to tend to a wealth of different projects and responsibilities – a list too long to print which includes running a label, various solo efforts and production duties, baby-making and of course, countless other bands (Cardia, Walking Concert, Nightmare Of You and, eh, Limp Bizkit) – rumours of a much-anticipated follow-up dragged on through the years, with various demos and off cuts leaking along the way. Although the band was never officially laid to rest, as time passed it was hard to believe it would ever see the light of day again.

Any such worries were eventually quelled in 2008 when Rival Schools suddenly jolted into life and reconvened for an extensive run of dates worldwide. Despite the considerable absence, these shows had no trouble coaxing old fans out of the woodwork alongside a new generation of listeners. And if this wasn't enough of a reward for such patience and loyalty, the following announcement everyone was really waiting for – of album number two – surely was. As a result, their long-gestating sophomore LP, entitled Pedals, is due for release this March and already heads up a promising year for new music. Still, it begs the question: why now?

“At a certain point it was like ‘ok, we know how long it takes if you get it wrong, so if we're really going to do this, let’s do it now,’” Schreifels asserts. “You can only wait so long. We'd been talking about it and we were able to play some music here and there, but about three years ago we started to get serious. So we did that tour, wrote some new songs, played some older material that was never released and started messing around to make this record.

“After United By Fate we'd written a bunch of other songs that were like demos for a follow-up album and we just left it at that,” he elaborates. “The motivation for getting back together and making this happen was really that we left this positive thing hanging in the wind. It was a challenge, but we picked up some of the pieces of work we’d done before and built a new story. It's been a long and winding road.”

Guitarist Ian Love says that stepping back out on the live circuit confirmed the band's decision to reunite for a bigger cause. “When we started playing again – those songs from United By Fate with everybody singing along to every word – it really solidified for me that we should be doing this, we should be making another record. Years later, these songs are still meaning something to these people at least, and us. I don't think that happens very often.”

It's safe to say that, even after several years of silence, they have our full attention once more. Initial impressions of Pedals – particularly lead single Shot After Shot – are already a positive reminder of what we've been missing. It looks sure to stand strong alongside a collection of songs that have had years to cement their popularity. But having set such a high benchmark, was it a challenge to live up to their first chapter’s legacy?

“Personally I thought it wouldn't be too hard to top it, in my mind,” says Schreifels. “I believed we were capable of doing something even more interesting, or better, y'know? You always try to make the best thing you can. To make United By Fate out to be like Sgt. Pepper's, and that we have to follow it up – it's not productive.

“If I had a preference, we'd be on our sixth album right now,” he continues, with frustrated excitement. “I'm really happy that we do have this album, but also to rebuild the runway here and make more music. It wasn't easy to put it back together; we've all had a sense of accomplishment, but there’s also a sense of opportunity.”

It's an opportunity the band seem hell-bent on grabbing by the figurative horns, and they won’t be the only ones salivating at the prospect of a future with Rival Schools in their life once again. Soon to hit our shores with ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – surely a long overdue double-bill from the Gods – it would seem good things are finally coming our way.