my thoughts on Pedals by Rival Schools :-)

Pedals by Rival Schools is cool as fuck! I couldn’t get into this album for a hot minute but the more I’ve listened to it, the more it's grown on me. United By Fate will always be my personal favorite by Rival Schools but Pedals doesn’t disappoint despite being different to its prior release. “Wring It Out" and “Eyes Wide Open” are some stand out tracks for me as they show how great of a song writer Walter Schreifels is and how despite changing his sound a bit, he can still pull through and make it sound kickass. I like how this album Walter Schreifels went for more of an indie-shoegaze feel while still keeping his hardcore roots. It’s definitely a step down from United By Fate when it comes to the post-hardcore heavy sound but again keeps it’s emo sound.

The production on this album is alright for what it's worth. It’s a step down from Luke Ebbin clean-flawless production and especially is a step down on the reverb. It works perfectly for what it's going for. It's a lot more raw to get the shoegaze-y sound. I’d like to mention I love the bass tone in this album so much it’s perfect in the mix. It’s so loud and clear, it's exactly what I go for when recording so I'll use this for comptracking in the future! Schreifels has the same guitar tone throughout the whole album (a mid-gain tone, sounds like a plexi or maybe a marshall. I can’t really tell but it’s as if he's using the tone that he made from “My Echo” or “So Down On” on United By Fate) which is probably one of the biggest let downs from this album because his guitar tones throughout United By Fate were so cool! I loved how almost every song had a different tone, it gave it more variety and how “Used for Glue” and “My Echo” were so different. Although this was a disappointment for me, the experimental aspect of the album definitely makes up for it. 

Songs like “Choose Your Adventure” and “Shot After Shot” are some of the most experimental songs Walter Schreifels has ever written and I can totally appreciate it! I love his use of a synth as well as a heavy big muff on the bass. It fits perfectly on the album and loved what he tried to do with it to mix it up. In a few interviews, Schreifels talks about how “Undercovers On” was his first attempt at writing a ballad. His song writing on his ballad-like songs have totally improved, I love songs like “Racing To Red Lights” and “A Parts For B Actors” as it totally shows off how great of a song writer Walter Schreifels can be. I will always love his use of metaphors and how he will turn a simple concept into something really neat. “Wring It Out” is a great tune and my favorite off the album as I think everything that’s been noted throughout the album shows in this song. Walter Schreifels voice will never get old! He sounds just as great on this album as he did back in 1986 on the original demos he made for the first Gorilla Biscuits album (even noted now, he sounds great!) 

Overall this was a totally laid back album, I loved what they did with this and would really recommend this if you need something to chill the hell out to. As well as if you’re a hardcore-bro and you “cant listen to modern music” your excuse is Walter Schreifels lol