Nomadically tramping the grounds between Rancid and Less Than Jake, Boston’s HAVE NOTS prove adept at slinging meaty punk-rock components into a mix of reggae/ska splendour and rock ‘n’ roll foundations. ‘Proud’, the band’s sophomore album (following 2009’s ‘Serf City USA’) is a punch of highly-focused energy that not only makes an immediate impact but proves to be more than the sum of its parts.
Hailing from a city that boasts the likes of Dropkick Murphys, Big D and the Kids Table, and Street Dogs, it’s logical that Have Nots pour on the liveliness. The band’s fast-as-you-like rock ‘n’ roll mentality means that wasted notes are few and delivery is vigorous. Tracks like ‘Louisville Slugger’ (a lyrically impressive number) and ‘Freedom Of Recession’ recall the likes of The Explosion, NoFX, and (early) Offspring in their gritty-but-poppy, punk-rock style.
But rather than retain a hectic pace throughout, the band switches to upstrokes and unbridles organs to add a reggae flavour. Released on Paper + Plastick, Vinnie ‘LTJ’ Fiorello’s label, it’d be effortless to describe this as ska-punk but there’s more to it than that. Songs like ‘Some Of Mine’ and ‘Secret Machines’ probably owe as much to The Clash‘s influence as they do Florida’s seminal godfathers. There’s more of a plush feel to proceedings. Still, if it’s straight-up ska-punk you’re looking for there’s still enough on offer here.
The band may be a bit of an unknown commodity on these shores but ‘Proud’ makes a good case for reversing these fortunes. Whilst it’s not likely to lend itself to mind-bending bewilderment, it’s an album that in its simplest form sounds very good, and it’s hard to ask for much more than that. Have Nots join the genre’s long lineage but are remarkable enough to stand up tall and stand out.
ALEX HAMBLETON