Rah Rah

Young Reginan melodic pop five-piece Rah Rah are part of a small but growing list of Canadian musical acts whose prairie upbringings have inspired music that sounds whimsical, airy and essentially pretty, with simply guitar parts, jazzy drumming and a soft violin or two. In this vein, Going Steady, Rah Rah's debut, sounds quite familiar. Yet, upon a second listen, the album loses some of its prairie rock similarities due to certain uncharacteristic experimental bouts of heavy guitar, punchier drumming and male vocalist Marshall Burns' excessive, yet well-placed, use of the word "fuck," which thrust the band into their own sardonic league of admirable musical juxtaposition. Lyrics are where Rah Rah prove their worth, intelligently and playfully projecting teenage themes of troubled romance and infatuation onto the listener. Going Steady is immensely creative, witty and wise-beyond-its-years, and Rah Rah are definitely up-and-coming, having proven with this record that they are extraordinarily capable and relatable musicians.