Imagine starting a new creative endeavor and then being mentored by your heroes right off the bat. This was pretty much the case for Rocket, the Los Angeles quartet of 20-somethings who began making amped-up guitar music together in 2021. In the two years between their formation and their debut EP Versions Of You, Rocket started regularly playing local gigs, sharing bills with their friends in bands like Milly and the now-defunct Regrettes. Before long, Rocket were opening for some of the very same bands they’d grown up worshipping: Sunny Day Real Estate, Ride, Smashing Pumpkins. They hadn’t even put out a full-length album yet.