Hazen Street – Self Titled

Comprised of current and former members of H20, Madball, Box Car Racer, and Cro-Mags, you know that the members of Hazen Street have been around the block more then once. But just because all the bands there are well known, don’t expect to hear the same thing as their other band; because Hazen Street have come together to create a new, energetic, punk rock sound.

Fusing their street punk history with elements of hip-hop and metal along with some catchy hooks, Hazen Street‘s debut self-titled CD is one that will grab you right away. Having played in so many different bands before hand, the members of Hazen Street know how to craft a spectacularly catchy song that the listener really enjoys listening to, and they prove that here. Toby Morse and Freddy Cricien’s vocals are, as mentioned before, more hip-hop then hardcore, which sometimes reminds me of Rob Aston of The Transplants, but they can also be more on the lines of street punk, harder vocals too which is also great; and unlike most catchy vocals, they sing about darker issues. They sing about the thoughts of someone on their deathbed (Tomorrow), finding trouble at every corner (Trouble), dealing with the death of friends and families (In Memory), or being a stick up kid (Stick Up Kid). The lyrics are always catchy, the choruses are always spectacular, and its fun to sing along to. Hoya, Mackie James, and David Kennedy also use their knowledge from being in their separate bands to create powerful instrumentals. They are able to move the songs forward, get you energized, and really complete the song, all without being overbearing and blearing through your speakers so loud that they kill your eardrums. All in all, the album is really quite impressive. The only downside to the album is the final track, Hazen (Outro), which is really rapish; and then the fact that there is sometimes breaks of like 6-8 seconds between songs, which really slows down the flow of the album.

Hazen Street‘s street punk/hip-hop sound is one I have fallen in love with. It is an album that I will listen to a lot, and it makes me really regret arriving just as they were ending their set at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, because I’m sure they’d be entertaining live.