Unhappy with the current state of ska music, We are the Union decided to stick out their own necks and try to change things for the better in the Summer of 2005. Getting a paycheck is not on their agenda. Instead of following typical ska punk conventions, WATU takes a harder-nosed approach to the genre. With influences ranging from Philadelphia/New Jersey favorites Lifetime and Kid Dynamite, and bands like Slapstick and This is a Standoff, they rage with the best of them while still retaining a heightened sense of melody. Their love for fast music, horns and their incredibly short attention spans are a simple explanation for why WATU sound the way they do. Over the past year and a half, they have also been incredibly hardworking. With 8 east coast and Midwest tours under their belt in this short span of time, they’ve now thrown caution to the wind and plan on touring full time. This will surely add to the list of heavy hitters they’ve shared the stage with that includes Mustard Plug, Set Your Goals, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Bomb! The Music Industry, Four Year Strong, Fireworks, A Loss For Words, The Swellers, and The Flatliners. Their work ethic cannot just be applied to their tours either. Their first full-length “Who We Are,” self-released in the summer of 2007, was given away for free by the band via the Internet. Their generosity was met with a rapidly surging fan base and an offer to have the record released in Japan via InYaFace Records. Their expectations for the band are simple. They want to keep making music they love while touring relentlessly in order to provide people with a positive environment for fun and the venting of frustration. Paper + Plastick saw the youthful exuberance and the amount of integrity this young bunch of punks had and quickly wanted to become involved. With a 3-song teaser EP in the works for this Summer and a full-length on the way in the Fall you’ll soon know why we felt the need to bring WATU to the people. Some incredible artwork is in the planning stages as well, so this release will surely be up to Paper + Plastick’s lofty artistic standards as well.

Fast dudes, fast tunes.

Paper + Plastick 

Creative Commons project. New digital single every monday since 2009. Stimulating people to listen, download, share and remix.

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Founded in 1996, Vagrant Records is currently the home to: The 1975, Active Child, Albert Hammond Jr., Alexander, AlunaGeorge, Bad Suns, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Black Joe Lewis, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blitzen Trapper, Bombay Bicycle Club, Circa Waves, CRUISR, DIVE IN, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Elected, Fossil Collective, French Kicks, James Vincent McMorrow, John Gold, Justin Townes Earle, Letts, Mark Lanegan, Maudlin Strangers, Mayer Hawthorne, PJ Harvey, Placebo, Rogue Wave, School of Seven Bells, Wake Owl and WATERS.

FatCat Records is a British independent record label founded in 1997.

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