Rival Sons - Open My Eyes

People often bemoan contemporary rock music. Depending on your personal opinion of trousers that look like they’ve been spray painted on rather than worn, you may be inclined to agree. There’s something to be said for bands who don’t just emulate the classics but embody them, though. Flagbearers who take a little of what came before, to keep that spark burning for another generation to light their own torches from.

Now, Rival Sons might strike some as being a bit *too* Zeppelin-y to be truly their own thing. It’s a fair point to make of the boys from Long Beach, California, given the obviousness of it on first listen. But hey, Greta Van Fleet have made their entire career out doing exactly that in charity shop jumpers; at least Rival Sons acknowledge the influence. And there’s plenty of other stuff in there too – a little Sabbath here, a little AC/DC there. It’s thoroughly worn territory, but, rather than feeling like a cheap knockoff to score nostalgia bait fans, Rival Sons feel like they’re actively trying to bring these styles forward in time. A preservation, if you could say that having not heard a hundred classic rock bands on the radio every day, giving you no way to forget them. 

But that’s how we arrive at Open My Eyes this week, a track borne on the burning wave of reminiscence with an eye to the horizon of the future. It’s rock solid rock and roll that fits this fabled Friday feature slot to a crossed T. We’d tell you to sit back and relax, but that is exactly the opposite of what we want to happen.