Click here to listen: Derrival has arrived?

A series of "senseless" arsons in Fort Langley during the fall of 2010 motivated an interwoven group of young friends and musicians to write a compilation of songs which have since earned them a spot in the top 10 of BC's Best Teen Band Contest 2012.

Derrival, a Langley band, has made the shortlist for the Youthink Magazine annual music competition, and now needs as many votes as it can muster if there's any hope of earning a spot in the finals, said Deven Azevedo.

The indie band is hoping their newer songs and video for The Autumn Game and Modern Age Kids, as well as a song called Where There's Smoke - which they say was sparked by the fires set at the Chief Sepass Theatre and the IGA - resonates with listeners.

"The songs explore the feelings of hurt and loss, questioning whether the faceless arsonists felt any regret," Azevedo explained.

"The bands who get voted into the top three get to battle it out at the Electric Owl, and the winner will be selected by the judges based on this performance," he elaborated, excited about the young group's future.

Influenced by Canadian bands such as We Are the City, Said the Whale, and Tokyo Police Club, Derrival is a band consisting of two students from D.W. Poppy Secondary, two from Langley Fine Arts School, and one who just graduated.

The band started in 2009 with three members, and has since evolved into five current members: Azevedo (bass and vocals), Shane Stephenson (keyboard), Adam Mah (vocal and rhythm guitar), Dan Kozlowski (drums), and Glen Jackson (lead guitar and vocals).

As is the case in many teen bands, several of the guys in Derrival are friends - including Jackson and Azevedo, who have known each other since kindergarten - who discovered a shared love for music.

Derrival's success in the competition thus far was earned by the recordings and a video submitted to the contest judges. But now, Azevedo said, the three finalists will be picked by the public through online voting.

Like fellow Langley contender Hailey Morgan, this is Derrival's second attempt to win the teen contest. They entered last year, but did not get shortlisted.

"It is very encouraging for us to know that people, other than ourselves, believe we are improving too," Azevedo said. "It also makes us feel great to know that we can do what we love and people enjoy listening to it."

Asked how the voting is going so far, he told the Langley Advance, "We feel we are getting lots of support from our friends, family, and fans. However, the contest does not provide us with a way of checking how many votes we have gotten, or other bands have gotten, so the suspense will be high all the way until Feb. 21 - when the contest closes. We'd love to get more votes from anybody, but especially from all the Langleyites," he added.

Before the competition opened for entries, Derrival went into a professional studio for the first time to record their debut EP, which was released at the end of September.

"All our previous recordings had been done in Glen Jackson's [lead guitarist] basement, and, although we were quite proud of these recordings, we knew that professionals could do a much better job," Azevedo explained.

They now have their sights set on a full length album, and they're hopeful this contest could make that happen.

Derrival's music can be heard at derrival.bandcamp.com, and voting for the best teen band contest continues until Feb. 20, at bandcontest.youthink.ca.

rhooper@langleyadvance.com