Have to Have

When an expired passport pulled Julián out of the UK and away from his English bandmates, the songwriter didn't get discouraged. "I knew the first thing I had to do was move to Austin and start anew." One year later, his new band Have To Have joined Kelly Donnelly at Fire Station Studios to record their debut album 'Obscuriosity'.

Have To Have started as a trio comprised of frontman Julián Berdegué, punk bassist Jonathan More, and prog rock drummer Dominic Neri, but one jam session with rock guitarist Mitch Stuart changed everything. "We knew he was good going into that rehearsal, but no one expected our notably different styles to complement one another so tastefully," says Julián, "The electricity was palpable." It wasn't long before the band's repertoire of melodic punk-driven songs adopted an alternative twist resembling a time when music videos ran MTV and LimeWire feasted on computers, while still sounding like the latest thing.​

Their goal has always been to play on the world stage, and now equipped with their first album, they're ready to set that dream in motion. Unlike what you'd expect out of four rockers, the bunch are level-headed enough to know that the leg work must come from them if they are to propel their passion into a career. "We all want this," explains Mitch, "And it's on us to make it happen". All this to say that they are already fleshing out material for a second album, which will be recorded upon arrival from their 'Obscuriosity' tour this coming fall. "Wait till you hear Watermelon," says Kelly Donnelly, producer and engineer for Have To Have. He's referring to the first single off the album, an earworm teeming with hooks and poised between moments of tension and release.

"Ultimately, (we) are taking after our heroes and making compelling music that will empower future generations to take agency over their lives and do the same," the band agrees.