Three piece punk rock all up in your face. That's the gimmick from Hat Trick. With two million acknowledgments in the credits (slight exaggeration) from every punk band known to man, you would only expect to find multiple influences here. I heard hints of Blink 182, Lagwagon, MxPx, and yet this band was able to stand out as being unique amidst a world of sellouts. I thought the drummer was great, as were the semi-poetic lyrics, but the low budget recording set these guys back a notch. I think if they had a better studio, then this album would probably fall gently on many more ears than it has.
I would hardly call this album ground-breaking, but it does show promise. The pictures of these guys show that most of them haven't had to shave yet, and they will probably grow musically as they grow physically. But the problem with that is that by the time they do, will this style of music be on the way out. But then again, who cares? Music isn't about what's in, it's about what's real. And these guys are real, just not professional.
2.5 tocks
