We Were The States

We Were The States had nearly completed the recording of its new album Rasa when the Nashville floods came. With two feet of water in the basement of Coat of Arms studios, the band went from euphoric to discouraged, thinking the record they had worked on for two years would be indefinitely derailed. Regrouping at Nashville’s Club Roar studio, the Murfreesboro-based five-piece quickly prepped for very long hours on a very limited budget, but ultimately persevered. Their resulting album, Rasa, is a triumph of will, grace under pressure, of reaching for a goal and grabbing hold of it.

Judging by Rasa, We Were The States are shooting for the stratosphere and might just make it. Take a bit of the Stereophonics and Americanize it and you have a good idea where We Were The States are coming from. Soaring, far reaching, slightly psychedelic and catchy as the black plague, Rasa is an epic recording waiting to happen. Floods be darned, this is a band that's been headed for the stars since the get go, it's only taken them a little while longer and few more miles to get there.

We Were The States are a moody bunch that through all their heartbreak have come out on top with a renewed sense of urgency. It's the kind of urgency that you can hear on just about every one of the tracks on Rasa and with the gruff vocals of Justin Webb pushing their way through to the tension. Rasa is a great rock and roll record that's restlessness and sense of drive carry it. It's this overwhelming sense of oomph that energizes the band and allows each of these songs to wrestle with adversity and come out on top. I rather like Rasa and I like the fact that on the verge of collapse We Were The States created a fantastic statement of intent. Rock and roll doesn't come much more honest and restless than Rasa and that's why I really like this album.