Interview: Ben Cook (GUV)
Discussing His Latest Album, 'Warmer Than Gold'
Ben Cook’s beloved music project is back with the entrancing breakbeat-driven pop album Warmer Than Gold.
For the uninitiated, Young Guv—previously Young Governor; now shortened to GUV—most recently released a run of four incredible power pop albums (GUV I & II and GUV III & IV) in quick succession from 2019 to 2022. And then, just as anticipation for his next release reached a fevered pitch among a growing fanbase, Cook went quiet.
Thankfully, his retirement was short-lived. After some down time and a little globetrotting, Cook—who has also played in hardcore/punk bands No Warning and Fucked Up since the late ‘90s—re-connected with his old friend and No Warning collaborator James Matthew Seven (JMVII) to see if they could reignite the spark.
“Either Matt expressed interest in wanting to help me or I straight up asked him to help me revamp the vibe a bit so I would be more engaged in making music again,” Cook told me for the interview below. “I had kinda just moved to Europe after wanting to try a smaller, chiller vibe (not in America)—definitely still picking up the pieces after COVID stomped out my winning streak.”
The revitalized project wobbled a bit out of the gate, but hit its stride once Cook relocated again.
“Fast forward to me going to chill in London for many months, taking advantage of my British passport,” said Cook, who grew up in England and Toronto. “I had left Lisbon because I really couldn’t get much done there except eat absurd amounts of delicious food and drink shitloads of wine.”
“Hello Miss Blue” came out of the Portugal session but the album took a stylistic turn with “Let Your Hands Go,” the Madchester-y track that became the lead single. That momentum was followed by the manic rhythm of “Oscillating” and chiming Britpop strummer “Never Should Have Said.” “Chasin’ Luv,” the most obvious link to GUV’s power pop back catalog, was the final song recorded for Warmer Than Gold.
“I guess it’s just a feeling and always has been, to know when something is hitting right for you. Whether it’s a hardcore song or something more pop-based—or something that might be a next GUV vibe as the project will always be transforming somewhat. I guess the consistent thing is a melody that feels right,” Cook said.
I caught up with Cook by email to discuss a few of my favorite Warmer Than Gold tracks, get his take on genre labels (he doesn’t love them), ask about his touring plans in 2026, and find out what’s next for GUV (he’s got surprises up his sleeve…)
Ben Cook Interview
Congrats on the great new album. What was it about these songs and this project that brought you out of retirement?
Ben Cook: Thank you very much.
I had moved to Lisbon and was trying to convince Matt to do the same. I flew him to Lisbon under the pretense of doing some GUV stuff, which he took very seriously, but I was already on my lazy ass Euro shit, drinking coffee and wine all day and going to the beach. He soon figured out I wasn’t really on the ball, and started talking about 5-lane highways in LA and I knew I had lost him.
We had a few sessions in between glasses, but nothing really came of it. At this point in our lives we’ve made plenty of different of styles of music writing for other people and for our own projects, so it was a time of confusion or maybe a bit of rediscovery more or less. He left Portugal and we had like some random laddy house music, some shitty beats, and a weird Kinks-meets-Stooges idea which turned into “Hello, Miss Blue.”
So, “Hello Miss Blue” was the first track you completed for the album? Is that the version we hear on the album?
Ben Cook: Yes. I sang to it with my iPhone as a mic, auto-tuned the fuck out of it, and sent the song to Matt after he’d left me in Portugal to drink wine and get fat. He loved the vocal melody, put a break beat under it. We had a little starting point to work with and finally something to work from.
I almost left it off the album because, frankly, the lyrics are fucking silly—about a depressed chick who drinks too much natural wine—but classically, some records later in the album kinda have that silly track so I was convinced to leave it on.
It’s insane, for sure.
“Let Your Hands Go” seemed like a stylistic departure when I first heard it, but I came to realize it’s a natural progression of your sound—combining many different modes you’ve experimented with in the past. How and when did that one come together?
Ben Cook: As soon as I touched down in London, something ignited between JMVII and I. He was shacked up in his Pasadena bedroom and I was ripping around London with friends, in pubs, down my family’s old streets, hanging out in studio with other friends’ projects (shout out 3ndles5 from Sydney)—and generally I was activated as fuck. He must have sensed it in me because the next thing I got was the “Let Your Hands Go” instrumental. It was an early idea and I wrote to it fast and it kinda just flowed from there.
“Oscillating,” “Never Should Have Said,” and “Crash Down Feeling” were all sent to me in London and I wrote to them in minutes. Yes, it’s a departure from the power pop the project is known for, but I’m definitely always down to be trying other things.
Why was “Let Your Hands Go” the right lead-off track and single?
Ben Cook: I was against it at first. Hot off the back of Oasis summer I didn’t want it to seem like I was trying to ride that wave. The album was made before all of that. Obviously I love that band, but the move felt a bit too obvious for our tastes. Me and Matty wanted “Blue Jade” to come out first, but the label thought “Hands” was the move. I’m not as difficult as I used to be so I conceded fast and it’s been a pretty cool album roll out so far.
The song I’ve had on repeat lately is “Chasin’ Luv.” To my ears, that one feels like a more obvious bridge to your previous releases. What was the inspiration for that track?
Ben Cook: It was the last song made for the record. We realized we needed an obvious jangled ass hit song that would grab you right away. Something to complete the record.
Matt had a drum machine beat and I think we were listening to Pains of Being Pure at Heart and maybe one Ride song as inspiration, like when you blast a couple tracks through the monitors before you write to get into some sorta mode, and the instrumental formed really quickly. Ryan Gavel played a bass 6 on it—all the bass is high up on the scale—and I added bass synth when it needed low end. Noah Kohll put all the jangle on it with his OCD guitar playing and I think I played a rhythm on it.
The vocals were written and tracked after they left the studio on a coffee break and I sent it to the group after about 30 minutes of working on it and it was done.
I love the song so much. I love how it stands out amongst the others being the only song like it on the record.
Another personal favorite in a similar Britpop vein is “Never Should Have Said.” Are the lyrics to that one based on a specific relationship?
Ben Cook: I felt it was generally a pretty relatable theme. Looking back on past relationships wishing things could have gone differently. Knowing you wouldn’t do the same things now as you did then, but didn’t know they were shitty at the time.
It’s not about a specific situation or person, just a feeling I hoped to capture after feeling a bit hopeless in romantic relationships sometimes. It’s about admitting you’re wrong and apologizing.
When I’ve interviewed you in the past, you seemed to bristle at the term “power pop” being used to describe your music. Do you have similar feelings when terms like “Madchester” or “Britpop” are used to describe this album?
Ben Cook: They all feel pretty cringe. I don’t consider it Britpop because that was of a time that’s now very much gone. It’s definitely not Madchester except for three songs. But I understand why people have to use terms to describe shit so it fits in with who they are or brings them pleasure that they are able to identify that something sounds like something else a bit? I actually don’t know.
I just like good songs. I’m not mad about any of it. Power pop had a few cool moments in time at best. And I 100% don’t relate to anyone now who classifies themselves as a power pop artist or songwriter. Look at the disrespectful, thrashing review I got on Pitchfork by some failed power popper hairy barista ape hoping I was gonna write GUV 5… I think the British thing really hit a nerve, I love that though.
Funny though, I’m actually sitting on a next record that’s way more power pop classic GUV that I’m probably gonna release this year—but I kind of don’t want to because I hate power poppers. I guess I’ll drop it soon, tho?
I read that touring is part of why you took a break from music. How much touring do you plan to do for Warmer Than Gold?
Ben Cook: That remains to be seen. I’m doing a couple weeks in the US as a test run. I love touring with the gang and performing so I hope these shows lead to many more, and if not, that’s cool too. I’m happy I at least got to make a solid LP I’m proud of.
What would I be listening to on the stereo if I climbed into the Guv tour van after your next show?
Ben Cook: I just requested our bass player to put all the Fading Yellow comps, entire Bill Evans discog, ‘72 April Dead set from Denmark, and Dub Side of the Moon on his restored iPod.
Yes we have a restored iPod in the van. That’s where we’re at.
Thanks for the interview and love over the years.
The album is great. Ironically, my son also is Ben and in the entertainment world, so the headline caught me for a moment.
One of my favorite songs of last year! Great interview. Thank you.