Young Guv

Led by Toronto musician Ben Cook, Young Guv explores a strand of power pop and indie rock nourished as much by the punk scene as by the melodic guitar tradition of the 1960s and 1970s. Initially active in hardcore with No Warning and later as a member of Fucked Up, Ben Cook developed Young Guv from the late 2000s as a songwriting project focused on more pop-oriented songs, first under the name Young Governor before settling on the Young Guv identity. Recordings followed—singles, EPs and albums—including Young Guv & Friends Vol. 1 (2008), Ripe 4 Luv (2015), the diptych Guv I and Guv II released in 2019, and Guv III and Guv IV in 2022. Based between Toronto and the United States, Young Guv moves between punk, power pop and indie stages, in the studio as well as on the road, regularly surrounding itself with musicians from those scenes. The Young Guv project is characterized by concise song formats, clean or saturated guitars in the foreground, and a marked taste for vocal harmonies and instantly recognizable choruses.