Hate is the first EP of a trilogy to be released by American rock band Hawthorne Heights

Hawthorne Heights

Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...

, released through the band's own record label, Cardboard Empire. Hate was released for digital download on August 23, 2011. It is also the first release by the band to contain a title track.

Promotion and release

On August 11, 2011, the album art and track listing for Hate was revealed. The next day MTV premiered one of the EP's tracks, "Four White Walls". Digital pre-order for the EP became available shortly after, and on August 21, 2011, the entire EP was leaked onto the internet. Though the album is considered an EP, it is intended as a full album by the members of the band. Limiting the album to 9 tracks allows it to be sold at a reduced price on iTunes, at $8 instead of the required $10 minimum for releases of ten songs or more.

Music videos will be released for each track, the first for the song "Is This What You Wanted?".

Musical style

Hate lyrically deals with feelings of hate, anger, and solitude. According to Woodruff, Hate features more "aggressive songs" that are "a lot heavier than anything we’ve ever done." The EP has been compared to other screamo albums, such as releases by Senses Fail

Senses Fail

Senses Fail is an American post-hardcore band from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Formed in 2002, the line up initially consisted of vocalist Buddy Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Dave Miller and Garrett Zablocki and being completed by bassist Mike Glita. The band quickly issued their debut EP, From...

. Screamed vocals and breakdowns are prominent features throughout the album, reflecting the musical style of the band's first two albums. One review states "this aggressive side, dormant for the past few years, has finally boiled over all at once."

Track list

1. "There Was A Kid (Part 1)" - 1:17
2. "Is This What You Wanted?" - 2:32
3. "Divided" - 3:37
4. "Hate" - 2:48
5. "Wasted In NYC" - 2:19
6. "Stay Awake/Stay Alive" - 2:55
7. "Oceans" - 4:26
8. "Four White Walls" - 2:59
9. "Passengers" - 4:19

Personnel

• JT Woodruff - lead vocals
  Lead vocalist
  The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
  
  , rhythm guitar
  Rhythm guitar
  Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
  
  , keyboard
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  
• Micah Carli - lead guitar
  Lead guitar
  Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
  
  , unclean vocals
• Matt Ridenour - bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , backing vocals
• Eron Bucciarelli - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion