HAVE HEART - The Things We Carry (Bridge 9)

So everyone's been talking about HAVE HEARTand I have been really curious to see what the fuss is all about. For some reason Have Heart has been promoted as this mid-90s HC revival band but I personally don;t find any similarities with that sound. To me it sounds like a modern, metallic-tinged youth crew band that could fit in the whole Comeback Kid/With Honor genre. I mean, take a look at the cover (which by the way I think is great), does that signify mid 90s to you? I don't think so.

Have Heart is the classic example of an American Hardcore band: They've been around for a while, they've self-released a demo that went fucking well, they have a 7" on a small HC label (Think Fast! Records) and they've played their asses off... So now Bridge 9 does the logical thing, which is to snatch them up and release their full-length. What you get is 11 songs of good contemporary American HC, a sound that of course is very much loved here in Europe too. Have Heart has actually played in mainland Europe and England and got some great crowd responses.

Their sound combines the HC harshness and speed, but there is definitely something more 'elegant' going on. There is a lot of tempo exchange, from the 0:56 "Life Is Hard Enough Opener", to some slow moshy songs and some melancholic parts and interludes and whatever. Of course, it is topped up by a crystal-clear production that makes everything sound fucking huge, especially the drums-hear the rolls thunder mercilessly on your head!

The lyrics are also a bit faraway from the classic straight edge HC template. It is sXe domain for sure, but of another school, less loud-mouthed and more though-provoking. There is some sadness in some of those songs, but overall a good message for the kids to read in their bedrooms inbetween the Terror hatefuckyourevenge stuff.

Summing up, Have Heart is one of those bands that is changing the face of Hardcore music today, with this different approach that doesn't pretend to be very hard or or adopt a pretentious stance. The music speaks for itself, and it is good, straight up music for the year 2007.

www.bridge9.com
www.myspace.com/haveheart

p.s. for the record collector freaks: vinyl version recently pressed by Bridge 9 on gatefold 12", solid yellow w/ green splatters. 1000 pieces so hurry if you really want this!