Paper + Plastick Records is excited to once against team up with Detroit ska/punk band WE ARE THE UNION to release a brand-new digital-only EP. Graveyard Grins is now available for purchase only in the Paper + Plastick webstore.

Graveyard Grins is We Are the Union’s second output for Paper + Plastick, providing a bridge between 2010’s critically acclaimed Great Leaps Forward and an upcoming full-length, which is scheduled to be recorded in the near future. The EP features three brand-new songs to go along with a Descendents cover (full track list below).

AltPress.com exclusively revealed the opening track on the EP, “If I Can’t Smoke or Swear, I’m Fucked,” yesterday. The Descendents “Thank You” cover is streaming on PropertyOfZack now.

Following up Great Leaps Forward is no easy task – the record was We Are the Union’s most popular release and led to an onslaught of national tours for the group. In a busy 2011, WATU recorded this EP, then hit the road with The Forthrights, The Fad, Green Room Rockers, Struck Lucky and The Brunt of It. Later in the summer, they weaved across the country on a full U.S. tour with I Call Fives, Handguns and The Story So Far.

Citing influences ranging from hardcore staples Lifetime and Kid Dynamite to ska legends Less Than Jake, We Are the Union brings a positive vibe to accompany skilled guitar work and the staple trombone. We are happy to provide review copies of the EP and the band is available for interviews as well. Please email all requests to exit384media@gmail.com.

We Are the Union is:
Reed Michael Wolcott – Vocals, Guitar
Brandon Benson – Bass, Vocals
Jim Margle – Drums
Ricky Weber – Guitar

Graveyard Grins tracklisting:
1.     If I Can’t Smoke or Swear, I’m Fucked
2.     Do What You Love…
3.     …And Fuck the Rest
4.     Thank You (Descendents cover)

Critical praise for Great Leaps Forward:
“It’s honest, genuine and there are no theatrics or explosions or concepts to distract from what the record really is: an inspired, heartfelt album that appeals to the band’s own generation of young Midwesterners who affectionately love to play music.” – AbsolutePunk.net

“We Are the Union has written the best record I’ve heard in 2010. You’ve never heard Punk/Ska like this before. They play fast, skillfully, and have a great sound that I am willing to bet only gets better live. I give this record a 10 out 10.” – Enoch Magazine

More About We Are the Union:
Unhappy with the state of ska music, We Are The Union decided to stick out their own necks and tried 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 two and a half years, they have also been incredibly hardworking. With nearly a dozen tours in the US and UK under their belt in this short span of time, they’ve now thrown caution to the wind and continue to be on the road full time. This will surely add to the list of heavy hitters they’ve shared the stage with that includes The Suicide Machines, Shook Ones, Mustard Plug, Set Your Goals, The Flatliners, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Make Do And Mend, Spring Heeled Jack, Bomb! The Music Industry, The Aquabats, Four Year Strong, Such Gold, Fireworks, Hostage Calm, Transit, The Wonder Years, The Swellers, A Loss For Words, and Hellmouth. 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. Then, 2010 brought the release of Great Leaps Forwards, the Billy Bragg-inspired new full-length from We Are The Union. Already outselling their previous releases, WATU hit Canada and the US in support of Great Leaps Forward with Strung Out (Fat Wreck Chords) and Rufio in August and September before heading to the UK for dates with Less Than Jake and Zebrahead in November.

The band spent the first quarter of 2011 writing and recording an EP at Drasik Studios in Chicago, IL for a summer release on Paper + Plastick records. In April of 2011, shortly after they finished tracking, they hit the eastern US with The Forthrights, The Fad, Green Room Rockers, Stuck Lucky and The Brunt Of It on the Ska Is Dead Presents: Young Guns tour. The band spent June and July on a full-US co-headlining tour with New Jersey pop-punk band I Call Fives, featuring support from Handguns and The Story So Far.