“Take a swing at me! Oh honey, are you scared you wanna kiss me?”
The hardcore punk scene has been blessed in recent years with quality bands who tackle the injustices that plague their respective communities. The trade-off has been that it can be rather difficult to stand out amongst the sea of equally miffed noisemakers. In spite of this, queercore anarchists Good Cop have made quite the name for themselves in the past two years ever since releasing their first EP Having Fun At Gunpoint in 2022 and split We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It with People Look Like Dogs in 2023. They have garnered a steadily growing cult following with their eclectic brand of emo, powerviolence and grind–inspired hardcore. With their sophomore EP, No Country For The Young, Good Cop aim to focus their rage on the shortcomings of capitalism, transphobia, breed-specific legislation and the day to day struggle of the working class.
The opening track makes itself known like a flower bouquet delivered via a fistful of roses, decking you in the jaw. “I Identify As A Death Threat” wastes no time in reducing your eardrums to sweet, sweet mulch with an absolutely face-melting and chaotic an intro as you can get. Good Cop lyrics are a truly beautiful enigma, as some songs showcase vocalist Vic Sell intricately detailing how they yearn to chin the nearest politician so hard they explode. Then there’s the tracks that lyrically do exactly what they say on the tin. If you couldn’t tell, “I Identify As A Death Threat” falls into the latter category. By the end of the track you might get the impression that Good Cop identify as death threats, for good reason too.
No room to breathe yet, though, as “Nice Shot, Nancy Boy!” and your ears go together like a horse and carriage, or rather a bull and a china shop. It’s a perfect attitude to carry on a song that less so pokes holes in bigotry as much as it shoots a cannonball through its chest (a rather Nice Shot at that). If you’re looking for subtlety you’ve surely come to the wrong place, with Good Cop’s punk and grind elements coming out to play in full force through gang chants and high intensity changes in tempo that keep the listener firmly on their toes. “Nice Shot, Nancy Boy!” makes a pretty gnarly impression. First time listeners will find a smorgasbord of everything that makes Good Cop the noteworthy act they are: ferocity, intensity, and most importantly, swagger. I can easily see the track becoming an anthem of sorts for the band (and for queercore in general too).
Just ahead of “Nice Shot, Nancy Boy!”, we are invited into the “Hunting Party”. Given the entire genre’s burning hatred for aristocracy I’m sure you can take a guess who the track takes aim it, if there’s one Good Cop song you don’t show to your Nan, it’s probably this one. Vocalist Sell is once again the centre of attention as they use hip hop-esque bars as their weapon to go directly for the jugular of fascism and the elite, proposing the only real solution to working-class problems is to put on your Elmer Fudd cap and go in for the kill. Our instrumentalists Tom Stokes (bass), Jared Guy (guitar), El Foster (guitar) and Gabe Wilson (drums) drum up a classic hardcore tune jam packed with groovy low-chord riffage. Whilst simplistic, Hunting Party reminds you that sometimes less is just more. That attitude makes this song in particular the most accessible of the EP, whilst still maintaining that trademark ‘Zero Fucks Given‘ spiteful edge that Good Cop do best.
“241 @ Dignitas” is a hectic wall of noise, bordering on powerviolence, that’s bound to be the cause of a few broken noses here and there per set, thanks to its discordant, manic guitars and brain-rearranging rhythm section. However it’s at this point in the EP, specifically as “241 @ Dignitas” transitions into the following track, “Ol’ Yeller Got The Drop On Me” that it becomes evident No Country For The Young was recorded live, a stylistic choice that absolutely works in tandem with Good Cop’s chaotic nature as a band. “Ol’ Yeller Got The Drop On Me” itself is naturally a highlight of the EP featuring a most interesting soundscape that pushes the boundaries of what we’ve heard from the band so far. Sections speed up and simmer down just as fast as they can come and go, before the song eventually begins to collapse in on itself, making way for an intense pseudo-breakdown that sounds like if Rage Against The Machine contracted rabies. I’m also 90% sure this song is at least partially inspired by a Family Guy skit, so there’s that too.
Like the blaring of alarms begging you to evacuate the immediate area, “Minimum Rage” hits the ground running like an amalgamation of all we’ve learned throughout the duration of No Country For The Young. We see the return of “Hunting Party“‘s trap style verses and “Ol’ Yeller Got The Drop On Me” eclectic soundscape, complete with all the jarring and satisfyingly harsh noises provided by the string section – all working as one to create the perfect climax, personifying the Good Cop mindset of not just eating the rich but chewing them up and spitting them out. The initial discordance and speed that the song has built itself upon begins to hone into an absolute powerhouse of a final breakdown. The beckoning, uncompromising dual howls of “Blood as ballast, bone as timber, rebuild the homes they swept away” paired with relentless chugs and dissonant chords giving off a filthy sludge death metal vibe à la Conjurer, closing off the EP on a really brutal note.
There are a lot of bands that strive to drive home the pure frustration and politically charged rage that Good Cop naturally, boldly and unapologetically embody. And to the strength of the band – they aren’t afraid to dropkick a few folks to make a point.
7.5/10
No Country For The Young is out January 12th via Prank Monkey Records.