Wanna Haul It: Part 6 - Free At Last

Free At Last are one of my favorite bands in recent years... and by "recent" I really mean more like "in the last fifteen years". I'd like to collect more from the band, but I'm out of the collector mindset so I don't always think about chasing multiple versions... and then when I do start to hunt, it is tough to find anyone selling. I don't know if hardcore kids from this era bought this shit and then quit and stuck it in the back of their closet because it's too much hassle to try and sell, or what... but special versions are hard to find from a band that I expect not many people care about.

When I was at Wanna Hear It and came across a special tour cover for the Free At Last 7 inch, Pave Your Way, I was beyond excited to snatch it up.

The packaging here isn't much to talk about... just a thin slip of paper printed front and back for the special cover. It is still a good look though.

Only 26 made for the band's 2014 west coast tour, and it amazes me that one of them made it back to Boston for me to pick up at Wanna Hear It. Excited to have this.

Clear Your Way

There was a time around 2014/2015 where I found myself losing some excitement over hardcore. The newer records at the time just weren't holding my attention, and I was more interested in what what was happening in rock and metal. Early in 2017, that tide began to shift back to hardcore's favor when I discovered a string of new bands on Triple B, including Free At Last.

That Embrace You record from Free At Last was so great and such a fantastic surprise. Shortly after discovering that record, I found that the band had also released a 7 inch a few years earlier. I found the Dog Years Records webstore and placed an order for the Pave Your Way EP, but I'm assuming that the label had collapsed by that point as I never received my order. Honestly, I was ordering so much shit at the time that I didn't even realize that I never received my record until probably eight months had passed. It sucked, but it was only one record, and I just wrote it off as a loss. Four years later, I finally made a move to pick up that 7 inch though Discogs.

The six songs on Pave Your Way aren't as great as what I found on the Embrace You LP, but this is still a fun 7 inch. It is a good listen when you are in the mood for some good straight forward hardcore, and why wouldn't you always be in the mood for that?

Free And Clear

I grabbed some great finds on my latest Triple B shopping spree, with both Fury and Glory impressing the hell out of me. As I was preparing to check out, one more record caught my eye. Could Triple B go three for three?

When I published my Year In Review post for 2016, I asked what Hardcore records I'd missed out on. Well, Triple B had all the fucking answers.

This record from Free At Last steals the show. I'm absolutely loving the Count Me Out/Turning Point vibe that this band deliver. We may have a new number one for 2016.

238 pressed on clear vinyl.