No Division is the third full-length album by American post-hardcore band Hot Water Music. It was released by Some Records on August 10, 1999.[6][7]
| No Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 10, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | Mirror Image Studios, Gainesville, Florida | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:50 | |||
| Label | Some | |||
| Producer | Walter Schreifels | |||
| Hot Water Music chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Punknews.org | [2] |
| Ox-Fanzine | positive[3] |
| NME | [4] |
| Chicago Tribune | positive[5] |
Recording edit
Hot Water Music's Jason Black stated of the recording: "[on the last album] we just didn't know what the hell we were doing. So this time around it was nice, we went to a studio and spent maybe two, two and a half weeks and really recorded an album, front to back.[8] The album was produced by Walter Schreifels of Gorilla Biscuits fame.[9] The band recorded the album after a hiatus, vocalist Chuck Ragan stated "I know we were all a hell of a lot more focused going into [it], You can really tell just by listening to it.”[9]
The album was originally scheduled for release on June 1, 1999, but was pushed back to August 10, 1999.[10]
Composition edit
Regarding its musical style, No Division has been labeled as a punk rock album,[11][12][13][14] and under punk subgenres such as emocore,[15][16] post-hardcore,[15] and hardcore punk.[2] The album includes elements of hard rock, pop-punk, and Southern gospel in the overall sound.[17]
Reception edit
Allmusic stated the album "isn't as strong as the records that preceded it, but, at the end of the day, anything this band has to offer is still a lot more honest and explosive than what most of their peers have."[1] Punknews.org called the album "awesome" stating the band has " their formula of 'emotionally-charged hardcore' down to a tee".[2] Alternative Press praised two songs as "jaw-dropping technical" and praised the sincerity of the album's lyrics.[9] PopMatters called the album "a magnificent testament to what a punk rock band could do if they kept both ears on expanding their sound, but both feet planted in their roots... For one album, Hot Water Music managed to pull off the rare feat of maintaining the energy and politics of punk while embracing a thoroughly rock and roll sound."[13] Ox-Fanzine described the album as a "grandiose, varied and absolutely standalone work".[3]
Legacy edit
The song "Rooftops" was covered by Alkaline Trio on the Alkaline Trio / Hot Water Music split EP in 2002. In 2019, Alternative Press included the album on the list of 12 essential punk and emo albums of 1999, describing it as "a gut-wrenching roller coaster of love, hate and grief, all captured in an aggressive 30 minutes."[18] DecoyMusic.com described No Division as "one of blueprints for modern punk rock" and the band's best work.[14]
In 2019, the band played the album in full on tour, based on a Twitter poll conducted amongst fans.[19] Also in 2019, brewing company Arizona Wilderness created an IPA named after the album in collaboration with the band.[20]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "SouthEast First" | 3:05 |
| 2. | "Free Radio Gainesville" | 2:30 |
| 3. | "Our Own Way" | 2:36 |
| 4. | "It's Hard To Know" | 3:29 |
| 5. | "At the End of a Gun" | 3:56 |
| 6. | "No Division" | 2:05 |
| 7. | "Jet Set Ready" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Rooftops" | 2:53 |
| 9. | "Hit and Miss" | 3:57 |
| 10. | "Driving Home" | 3:24 |
| 11. | "In Song" | 3:23 |
Personnel edit
- Chuck Ragan - guitar, vocals
- Chris Wollard - guitar, vocals
- Jason Black - bass guitar
- George Rebelo - drums
- Walter Schreifels - producer, backing vocals on "Free Radio Gainesville"
- Tim Barry of Avail - guest vocals on "Hit and Miss"
- Rob Huddleston of Ann Beretta - guest vocals on "Its Hard to Know"
References edit
- ^ a b No Division at AllMusic
- ^ a b c "Hot Water Music - No Division". www.punknews.org.
- ^ a b Deutschland, Ox Fanzine, Solingen. "Review". www.ox-fanzine.de.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "No Division". September 12, 2005.
- ^ Reger, Rick. "Hot Water MusicNo Division (Some Records)These gator-state..." chicagotribune.com.
- ^ "Hot Water Music". Some Records. 1999. Archived from the original on October 12, 1999. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Weingarten, Christopher (July 1, 1999). "Gainesville an influence on upcoming Hot Water Music album". The Independent Florida Alligator. p. 3. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ Sigler, Gabriel (January 24, 2020). "Interview: Hot Water Music's Jason Black on the origins and legacy of No Division and Caution". Bad Feeling Magazine.
- ^ a b c "10 records from 1999 you won't believe are two decades old". August 28, 2019.
- ^ "hwmnews". web.archive.org. 2000-10-18. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
- ^ visions.de
- ^ "Versus: Hot Water Music - 'Caution' vs 'Exister' vs 'No Division'". March 26, 2014.
- ^ a b Popmatters
- ^ a b Records, Epitaph (October 29, 2004). "Chuck, Jason, Chris & George of Hot Water Music interviewed". Epitaph Records.
- ^ a b Grubbs, Eric (April 29, 2021). "Song Of The Day: Yatsu -- "Never Meant...To Be an Instrumental Band"".
- ^ visions.de
- ^ "Retrospective: Hot Water Music – "No Division"". May 20, 2015.
- ^ Dotiyal, Marvin (June 30, 2019). "12 essential punk and emo albums turning 20 in 2019".
- ^ Play in full
- ^ Morris, Tirion. "Arizona Wilderness will drop 7 limited release beers on Labor Day weekend. Here's the list". The Arizona Republic.