Photo by Derek Bremner

In a few minutes, Rival Schools will be releasing their deluxe reissue of their sophomore effort, Pedals. It’s the album that almost didn’t happen, arriving a full decade after United by Fate, their seminal debut and a mile marker in the Aughts major label post-hardcore signing frenzy, and after some time apart as a band. Pedals heard the Walter Schreifels-led project back in action in independent mode, and as could be a fickle thing with changing tides in the scene back then, it never fully got the shine it deserved despite it predicting the shape of it to come in exploring emotive dream-pop textures within the corners of grungy alternative rock. Last time I checked, the album had been out of print for years, making it an elusive get for Schreifels completists. Bless Run for Cover Records for their perpetual good taste in music of substance, and evening the market at that in their reissue campaign of the band’s entire catalog. That being said, Pedals deluxe comes baring extra treasures in the form of bonus tracks like “You Should Have Hung Out”, a listen that’s heavy on catching feels while living in the moment. “Let’s try to remember the way we are now / Being impatient with the stars,” Schreifels begins, before guiding an anthem for those what if’s that tend to come our way in life as time passes by. “This will never happen again / Should’ve known back when / Should’ve seen that then.” Thankfully, it did, adding further proof that Rival Schools were well ahead in even their own movements.

Directed by: The Times

Rival Schools’ Pedals deluxe reissue will be released September 20th on Run for Cover Records.