GUV III Breakdown with Young Guv

GUV III is the third installment in the saga of emerging hitmaker Young Guv out everywhere on Run For Cover. The chief songwriter Ben Cook joins us for an oral history of each track on the new record.

“Couldn't Leave U If I Tried”

This was the last song written for the entire 2xLP. Tommy Major had flown into Los Angeles to help add some last minute fire to the writing sessions and unsurprisingly came through in a huge way. His guitar playing is all over the record and instead of harmonizing myself like I always do I worked with him on a lot of the tracks as a harmonist to add a much better texture than my own voice.

We wrote this track in 15 minutes sitting on a couch. He had the opening riff and then the rest of the song formed really quickly. We demoed it onto my laptop and wrote lyrics on the fly as the melodies formed. I think this is my favorite song of the entire Guv project. I think it’s what solidified me and Tommy's psychic musical connection.

“It's Only Dancin'“

Again, all Tommy here. He sent us this song in Taos almost fully formed. This is the first time a song that I barely did anything to has been on a Guv record. Tony Price and I heard it and instantly knew it was gonna make it on the record. I also asked Tommy to help produce my vocals for this song which was also a first. Rich Gowen is a total stones freak, so when we all agreed the Charlie Watt’s flavor needed to be channeled on this tune, I think he banged out the drums in one take. I'd also like to pay special note here to the bassline of Ryan Gavel... I don’t think anyone else could have made that in 2021. TASTY.

“Lo Lo Lonely”

I sat down in Taos one night at the studio station we had set up in the dining area and got into a bit of a character as one does late at night- losing their minds in lockdown with a bunch of other crazy people. I think Tony was hammering a minus-10-degree glass of whiskey screaming in the kitchen. Noah (of Color Green) was probably into the ice cream again, and MadG (of Bobbie Lovesong) was locked in her room already making her 3rd album of quarantine. I think I was on some "I need one distorted Britpop banger on this album" and almost as a joke I wrote the instrumental, and then again almost as a joke I began whisper-singing with the face of a spiked out British rocker with too much of his parents’ money eating cheese sandwiches in a Dalston apartment with no bathroom door.

The song was finished later that evening when I realized it was catchy as fuck and I wrote real words. I played it the next day for everyone after breakfast and MadG from the kitchen said "That sounds like a hit, Ben". It became the first single.

“Only Wanna See U Tonight”

Another evening in Taos. Tony piping one of the coldest whiskeys on Earth. He was sitting in the corner strumming and singing the first melody of the chorus line. I was probably focused on something really stupid, but was torn away by what I heard and I exclaimed "What is that, that’s a song bro." I think we worked out half of the chorus enough to know that it had to be a song, and we sent the audio clip to Tommy via WhatsApp. He was in Sudbury, Ontario miserable in his parents basement staring at the Christmas tree that was still up (It's probably April 2020 at this point). He finished the second half of the chorus with us and we auditioned parts for the verse but settled on something I had, I think. We demoed it in full, sent it to Tommy for him to put lead guitar on it, and were floored at what he sent back just playing guitar into his phone.

It's kind of weird to release a song this good, and this "big hit" sounding in 2022 because it’s like a cosplay joke to most people, or like people seem so uncomfortable in life now that they can't appreciate anything that deeply. It's not weird, its not funny, we're dead serious, and it rocks.

“Good Time”

During our time in the Earthship in Taos, James Matthew VII came to join us. Our chaotic no-schedule hippie ways of writing music whenever it felt good were thrown into the Rio Grande with his arrival. He'd come into my room every morning on his schedule with ideas for the Guv record, ideas for his future record, ideas for future collabo stuff between us. A true artist most dedicated to his craft than anyone I know.

These were simple chords, and I didn't really get where it was going at first but that’s kind of normal for me. I'm a little too ahead of myself sometimes, but when I start singing and writing the words over the track I started to get really into it. We leaned into the Petty homage vibes and chose not to fear getting called on it. I wanted a big Jeff Lynne optimistic PCH feel-good rocker, so that’s what we did. Months later when I was actually driving down those highways, I felt that we had manifested that moment by writing that tune. I think its called time travel.

“Take Up All My Time”

This was a song I had written in BK pre-covid, late at night, subletting my friends room where he had a really nice Martin 12-string and a really nice Martin 6-string. This song is played in various capo positions with guitar parts that swirl into each other and I will never remember how to play it. I did not redo any of the home made tracks in the studio, and I didn't redo the vocals either. We just added drums, and kept it as-is. Megan Siebe from Omaha was kind enough to lay down some cello on this for me. Bobbie Lovesong (MadG) sang back ups.

“But I Ain't Got U”

Another early Taos idea. In the first house we stayed in, we set up the studio in the kitchen on the bar. We had been throwing around the term "Gench McGuinn" (Gentrified Roger McGuinn) as a vibe for the album. We didn't really stick to the plan, but this came out of that. I'm strongest on acoustic rhythm guitar so I enjoyed playing this. Noah Kohll is playing all of the leads and bass. This was a full blown collabo lyrically we sat around the kitchen table tossing around ideas. I had in my notes "But I Ain't Got U" as a song name. I had heard the lyric from a song on Calvin Compote's NTS show UNLINE CATOLOG walking around NYC one sunny day. It's a covid song, for sure. Isolated from your loved ones and only seeing each other in dreams.

“Same Old Fool”

Tommy again coming through in the final hours before we started our sessions at Jazzcat. He disappeared one night for like 3 hours with an idea obviously forming and then called us into the back studio room and he and Ryan had already started on the instrumental. Again, very quickly made.

I had the song name and some of the words already in my notes and the melodies came quite naturally. The pandemic has obviously been a time to take stock in who you are and who you want to be and really do the work to make it happen. We're all fucked up. We are all extremely flawed. And that's ok.

“She Don't Cry For Anyone”

Tony wrote this opening riff in Taos but we never really knew what to do with it. I think it was the same day we did “Couldn't Leave U If I Tried” on the couch. Tony wanted the riff used and with Tommy’s help we finally figured out an arrangement. I really love the bridge. It came super naturally and is on some Beatles shit I can really get down with. While we were recording at Rob's house, we all auditioned a solo with a 12-string and guess who's made the final cut... MINE. The worst guitarist in the room rocked an undeniable heater. Proud moment for two-scale Benny.

“Scam Likely”

I wrote this with Noah on drums in Taos while reading Robert Anton Wilson, so the lyrics are a little heady. I wanted another loud rock song. I still really fuck with how Oasis demoes sound and I wanted to emulate that blown out energy.

“April Of My Life”

Had to end it with a total Taos collabo. Written and recorded in the kitchen on a beautiful day. Another ode to Calvin's Uline Catolog fidelity aesthetic. Bobbie Lovesong on keys, Noah and I on guitars, Noah on bass and drums. This song is about New York in the springtime personified. My proudest lyrical moment "I watch the fireflies like bubbles in champagne." I don't know where it came from or if I just jacked it but can't remember from some weird book. I must have because I don’t think I could have thought of something that cool all on my own. So shout out to whoever helped me on this. Tara Milch added some elegant flute, and I love that the album ends this way. A little posh, but recorded in the kitchen. It's like "albums done... now kindly piss off."