The 1865 Addresses Slavery, Post Emancipation America in New Album Don't Tread On We!

New York-based blues-punk band The 1865 is tackling some pretty heavy subject matter, and we love them for it.

Motivated by social justice, the quartet was formed in 2017 by musician/filmmaker Sacha Jenkins (The White Mandingos, The Wilding Incident) and now describes themselves as “Bad Brains meets Foo Fighters in a black woman’s hair salon for a cup of tea.”

In their highly anticipated debut album Don’t Tread On We!, The 1865 speaks to the way history repeats itself in the present by looking to the past. True to their name, the honest and raw collection explores life in 1865 America, shedding a light on the root of tensions that still plague the U.S. today by diving into subjects such as slavery and violence.

Don’t Tread On We! includes the powerful single “Buckshot,” which, accompanied by a music video inspired by found images, illustrates the emancipation of slavery and paints a portrait of 1865 America. "Drawing parallels upon suiting up with a gun = dignity = freedom, to modern day military career promises of economic freedom via thinly veiled academic gains, "Buckshot" is a black rebellion battlecry,” lead vocalist Carolyn “Honeychild” Coleman explains. Watch the official music video below.

The 1865 will celebrate the release of Don’t Tread on We! with a live show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge on February 28.