Ska chords were designed to make you move. They grab your attention and carry you along whether you you want to or not. And punk was designed to provide the a voice to the typically voiceless. The Have Nots have manipulated these two genres to their advantage in voicing their critique on modern consumer society in their album Serf City USA. In the vein of the Clash, Op Ivy, and Rancid, the Have Nots translate their beliefs through passionate three minute bursts. They have stripped down music to a way of life and not a way to make a living. It takes it back to small clubs and bars playing to a crowd of like-minded punks.
This record is a promising debut with great moments of mic distortion, guttural vocals, and the select instances of harmony.
Serf City USA is available for free download over at Paper + Plastic Records, just click here. You have nothing to lose and a social conscious to gain.
Their myspace as some fun photos and a list of tour dates. And if you can't wait for them to get to you, here is a video from their recent tour opening up for the Dropkick Murphys.
