Hats Off

Early recorded efforts of this band reminded me of a reunion version of THE LEWD and I think I may have even put that in print somewhere... or maybe I just thought it. Anyway, I just got it in print there for a first, or second time... I’m not really up to doing research on my own writings right now... Well, that comparison to The Lewd is still true, but maybe to a bit lesser of degree on this CD. The Hats Off sound on this CD is a refurbished one, representative of the big punk sounds you would hear on Epitaph or Fat releases. Like I stated, I can still hear some of that LEWD in there. I like it, but now the sound is like that of a mixture of SOCIAL DISTORTION’S newer stuff, LAG WAGON and (you are going to flip when I say this) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN! Yeah, you heard me right! The Boss! I see promise in songs like “Wait To See”, “Mr. Fuckface” and “Searching for Identity” which are all bunched up together in the middle of the release which makes me wonder why...-Shawn Abnoxious
- The NEUS SUBJEX - theneussubjex.com

If you're sick of overly processed Pop music posing as "Punk," you might want to give new local trio, Hats Off, a whirl. Endearingly grounded and raw, the group plays by the fast and hard rules of vintage Punk -- not '77-era, but more in line with the urgent '80s American underground sound. The group's recent EP, Bring Yer Drinkin' Shoes, features five tracks of broken-bottle bedlam, the aural equivalent of a beer-soaked basement party. The band is relatively tight, driven by crunching rhythms, chugging guitar chunking, gang-chant choruses and intense vocals, delivered with gruffly punctuated intent. Lyrically, Hats Off is a flurry of dichotomies -- they start things off with "Different Today," an ode to growing out of youthful indiscretions, but then they move into "Stagfight," a raging anthem about reckless abandon, and "Patriot," which shows the band's political side, calling out misguided flag-wavers and reminding listeners that America actually "belongs" to Native Americans. Like the bands they admire (Screeching Weasel, The Descendents), Hats Off's sound is fairly one-dimensional, but the passion and energy they pour into Drinkin' Shoes is admirable. This is music to lose yourself in -- don't think too much, pop a Mickey's and turn it way up.
- City Beat - Mike Breen