The Hate

Starting things off with two pop-punk anthems, “Where Hope Lives” and “Rooftops,” the Hate strikes a triumphant note on Authors, like a statement of purpose from a group of vital, snarling hellraisers, simultaneously channeling bits of the Sweet and Bad Religion and mixing them with a touch of Hot Rod Circuit or Lucero. “Hello, Mother” and “The Road” begins with a more atmospheric tone before the band roughens up the edges with fuzzy melodies and desperate vocals that, while resembling a less distorted and warped Guitar Wolf, retain an almost erupting emotional delivery. “I Knew Me” and “The Axe” are an apt pairing, with acoustic guitar intros leading into clipped electric rhythms and the same emotionally ragged singing. Closer “Black Hands” is a lot like an amped-up Hanoi Rocks song.