Title: Don’t Tread On We
Artist: The 1865
Label: Mass Appeal
Formats: Vinyl, Digital
Release Date: January 25, 2019
On April 9th, 1865 the United States Civil War came to an end. Now, over 150 years later, these events have inspired an all-black punk rock band known as The 1865. Describing themselves as “Bad Brains meets Foo Fighters in a black woman’s hair salon for a cup of tea,” the Brooklyn-based band is in a class all their own. With the release of their debut album, Don’t Tread on We, The 1865 explore life in America following the Civil War—a land living in the shadows of the fallen Confederacy.
The band was formed by guitarist and filmmaker Sacha Jenkins, who explains that he formed The 1865 to “create contemporary music that spoke to the past, but also spoke to the same things that continue to happen over and over again in our country.” The other members of the band include Afro-Brazilian bassist Flora Lucini, drummer Jason “Biz” Lucas, and lead singer/ baritone guitarist Carolyn “Honeychild” Coleman. Don’t Tread On We features 13 hard hitting songs and even a few hilarious skits, all centered around Emancipation, with powerful lyrics to match the group’s unique sound. Some of the stand out tracks include “Beholden,” “John Brown’s Gat” and “St. Augustine,” as well as the leading single “Buckshot.”
Don’t Tread on We is a powerful album in both message and musicality, speaking on issues that have persisted throughout U.S. history.
Reviewed by Jared Griffin