The Cops Are Politically Incorrect, and That’s The Point

The Cops. Photo: Photography By Panic

There was a time when punk music didn’t make a statement, but it was more fun and politically incorrect.  Acts like NoFX did kind of whatever they wanted while still dropping some quality punk records without apologizing for the sentiments expressed within their songs.  Part of the aesthetic to punk music is to buck whatever the mainstream does, so it should come as no surprise that there’s a new punk band who is far from politically correct.  Houston’s The Cops, featuring members of Talk Sick Brats, dress like police officers and sing songs from the cop’s point of view.  Like the way KISS put on makeup and became the characters they portrayed, this four-piece dons police attire and become characters singing what you’d expect a cop to sing about.  This year they dropped four singles that are tongue in cheek and far from serious, but they’re also some pretty solid punk jams that are catchy and hard to ignore.

The first of these four, the speedy and melodic sounds of “Night Stick” definitely sticks in your head after one listen.  By keeping things snappy and at times abusive, the song, which comes in at just a hair over a minute and a half, has remnants of Pissed Jeans and Hot Snakes all over it.  Steering away from the lyrics, which seem to offer an officer’s tale about his night stick, the band quickly gallops through the song before it ends quicker than I’d wanted, but maybe that was the point.  This is followed with the bombastic sounds of “Homicide,” where the band channels the likes of The Briefs and Electric Frankenstein while ripping through the track.  With sing-song lyrics like “goin’ to a homicide…tonight,” the song is as catchy as it is a tune you should do more than get down to.  The tongue in cheek nature of the song, complete with police siren and radio conversations, is one of the catchiest tracks you can put in your ears.

Of course, another song you can’t seem to shake after one listen is the almost anthemic “Life On The Beat.”  With repeated lyrics and a catchy but murky bassline, the band definitely keeps things closer to the likes of Johnny Thunders without sounding like they “copped” his sound.  The band closes with the last single, a kind of love song called “Street Hooker,” where they are far from a ballad.  Complete with hand claps and dual vocals, the song is so catchy you’ll find yourself bopping your head on the first listen, and singing it’s crazy lyrics out loud in the least likely of places.  The overall vibe here is that The Cops are having fun with punk rock in a time where most of the bands are trying to be more political than ever.  Though the band has more than four songs in their set, these four are the great beginning to what will hopefully end up as a full length recording.

You can catch The Cops dressed in full police uniform when they open for NOBUNNY Thursday, December 1 at Walter’s.  The all ages show has sets from The Cowboys, Sailor Poon, and The Wiggins, with doors at 8 pm and a measly $10 to $12 ticket.  Make it out and catch these guys sooner than later.  With songs this catchy and a look that’s as striking as it is funny, The Cops could be bigger than Houston sooner than later.

by David Garrick