Rating: *****
College radio darlings, Bad Cop have a new record out and I was pretty stoked to check it out. I'd heard so many good things from friends and industry-types throughout the past several years and knew they were a pretty popular "band-from-that-thing" but I hadn't really had a chance to delve too deep. Well, I saw "Hello, Mr. Sunshine" in my inbox and looked at it as divine timing. Let's do this. Let's listen to Bad Cop and see what all the fuss is about.
I'm gonna listen to it. You should too. Let's do it together. That sounded dirty. Unintentional.
Listen to "Dreamer" on Soundcloud here:
"AlviCass" is where we get things started. This is tight. Sounds a bit like older Franz Ferdinand. I'm into it. This is really fun. "Dreamer Man" is next and it has a really great start and stop vibe to it. I dig the chorus too. This one sounds like Phantom Planet a bit and that's almost always a good thing in my book. Cigs + a Photo immediately reminds me "Hate to Say I Told You So" by the Hives. I'm really loving this record. It completely lacks pretense. It's rock solid without taking itself too seriously. "CoCo Sue" continues that garage rock sound that is almost perfect while "Disco Ball" is a frenetic rocker that never really lets you catch your breath. "Illuminate Me" is a melodic mid-tempo number that sounds like it could be on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. "Teenage Fantasy" is a slightly sophomoric track that will remind every adult of the better times in high school. Track eight is "Now I Can See" and it's got swag for days. Like a modern day Rolling Stones. Bad Cop can really grind when they want to. "Room Full of Mirrors" tones it back a notch and it's a good sound for them. They're versatile. We finish with "Green Eyes" and it's as hot of a finish as it was a start. Really excellent song to end on.
I can't say enough good things about this album. One of the best indie rock releases of the year in my opinion. Bad Cop have quite the future in front of them. I'm gonna go back and listen to everything they've ever done. You should too. But pick this up first. It's gonna blow your mind.