Ben Cook is now known as GUV. Before we knew Ben Cook as GUV we knew him as Young Guv. Before Young Guv he played guitar and sang with prolific Canadian punk rockers Fucked Up, where he was known as Young Governor. In between you may have known him from a litany of other projects and collaborations. This is all to say that Ben Cook is someone who is not afraid of reinvention. On the new Guv LP Warmer Than Gold he’s shifting gears once again, this time exploring the sounds of early shoegaze, britpop and UK dance music. Through all of the unrelenting change, his knack for melody and punchy, short songs endures.
 


Under different circumstances, saying that a new record is taking influence from shoegaze in 2026 might elicit a raised eyebrow or an eye-roll but Guv has the UK bonafides to back it up. With a childhood split between England and Canada in the 90’s, Ben’s genuine enthusiasm from the genre comes flowing out of this new collection of songs. The album doesn’t feel like the artist trying on an ill fitting costume, instead on Warmer than Gold the swirling, Shields inspired guitar and drum machines are pushed through the lens of a life spent making scrappy punk records. The result is a body of work that come out on the other side refracted and warped into something driving and powerful that lies just beneath the cover of dense, interwoven guitar and vocal melody.

The LP opens with “Let Your Hands Go,” offering an introduction that feels a bit like you transplanted Beck’s brain into Liam Gallagher’s body. The buoyant, hip hop inspired intro kicks into a bright, anthemic chorus that’s begging to blast through the speakers in a damp, packed soccer stadium. “Blue Jade” follows it up. A blown out, driving rocker that hides an ultra catchy chorus beneath the cover of a heavy layer of delay and reverb. On the chorus Ben sings “All I wanna do is say something that lasts for you. All I wanna say is always love.” This is Cook at his best, earnest and longing for a feeling just beyond his reach. Next up we have the title track, “Warmer Than Love” and “Thorns In My Heart.” These songs continue to set the tone for the record by pushing deeper into their world of smeared guitar and vocal textures along with even more experimentation in vocal production and delivery. The Cure with a talkbox, Slowdive with spoken word sections, walls of seasick chorus and tremolo that make the songs feel like part of a dream you’re struggling to recall.


At the midway point in the record we have “Chasin Luv.” This is the song that ties Warmer Than Gold back to the versions of GUV that came before. Cook is at his most powerful when his focus is on melody and, as the song says, chasing love. The guitars jangle and the song is stuck in your head the moment he starts to sing. C86, Sarah Records, Another Sunny Day. The references are there to be pointed out but when the song is this good, who could care?

The album is stacked with collaborations from musicians whose names may be familiar to GUV loyalists, along with some new faces including Meg Mills of Turnstile who helped co-write “Seaside Story,” another chimey, indie pop track that would be at home on a Sarah Records compilation. This song is the comedown from the manic high of “Chasin Luv.” Cook sings about dreams of waiting in a seaside town for a lost love that was doomed from the start. This is the one-two punch that makes up the heart of the album.

“Oscillating” and “Hello Miss Blue” pivot away from the earnest indie pop that sits in the middle of this records and takes the listener on a micro-journey into a UK dance club. Primal Scream on a sweaty, dark dance floor. Escapism in a world of longing and desire. The song’s throbbing pulse might feel out of place to some but here they offer a moment of reprieve from feelings that might be a bit too real and serves to usher the listener into the final act.

Coming back into the light of day, “Never Should Have Said” leads back to the introspective core of the album. Laid back, easy and contemplative. The song is about recognizing one’s fault in a bad situation and features guest vocals by Hatchie and Gracie Horse. I have to give credit to the sequencing because this is the perfect spot to pull back before we move toward the finale. “Crash Down Feeling” takes a different swing at the Primal Scream influenced, dance flavoured britpop we heard earlier in the album and nudges us toward “September Grey.” The album goes out on a Y2K pop ballad. A song that sounds like it was recorded onto a VHS tape in your parents living room and forgotten about until you popped the tape in years later. GUV is going out with no pretense and nothing to hide his feelings behind.

GUV has been known for his prolific output, having released four albums back to back in quick succession, but Warmer Than Gold thrives in it’s brevity. With 12 songs coming in at just over 45 minutes the album leaves little room to hide and serves to highlight Cook as a songwriter with a strong ear for melody and a penchant for stylistic experimentation. If this is the next step in the GUV journey, I look forward to seeing where this timeline leads.

Pre-order Warmer Than Gold by Guv HERE