The Cops - Stomp OnTripwires

Fri 1st Oct, 2004 in Music Reviews

For an album that boasts 15 tracks, it must be said that the debut album from The Cops, Stomp On Tripwires, is over far too quickly. This album has it all – rock, funk, a touch of electronica – and is all the while delivered with an unshakeable energy and inherent manic atmosphere. It is also the first album to be released by label Love Police Records & Tapes, as General Manager Brian Taranto and Label Manager Andy Kent (You Am I) were  mightily impressed by the sound and vigour apparent on the band’s demos and live on stage.

Hailing from Sydney, the five-piece force consists of Simon ‘Cartel’ Carter (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Jimmy Stacks (lead/rhythm guitar), Andrew Gilbert (lead/rhythm guitar), Beck Darwon (bass) and Nick ‘Nassssty’ Kennedy (drums, percussion) and together they have created an album that is nothing short of amazing.

Track two on Stomp On Tripwires, Foxtrot Yankee, is a chaotic guitar romp that inspires the need to bounce off the walls.  This is followed by the electronica-flavoured Cop City Music, which exists on the opposite side of the spectrum; it is controlled and laid-back, and this transition has been made with seeming effortlessness. It immediately erases any pre-conceived notions that may have been held about this being a straightforward rock album. You simply do not know what to expect next.   

Be My Lover begins with wailing guitars before breaking into a fast-paced, grinding assault. Two of the best songs on the album are Dirty Little Rebel which exudes coolness through its combination of swagger and crunching guitars and Mr Pretty Thing with its all-out onslaught of rock mayhem. Simon ‘Cartel’ Carter’s sneer at the end of the song, “You do what you want with me” is a highlight.

Cartel’s part-time falsetto is hilarious on Street Panther and perfectly suits the boppy electronic blips littered throughout the song. It’s a great song to sing along to, particularly the chorus, which succinctly asks “Why do you blame your shit on me? Why do you bust my balls m’lady?”

One of the best things about The Cops is, as evidenced by the above lyric, the sense of humour that permeates many of their songs. Colourful characters abound and it is hard not to get suckered in by the mock-hillbilly phraseology and devil-may-care attitude. They present a gritty, witty, no-holds-barred look at a world full of debauchery and sin and make you wish you were a part of it.  

She Sleeps with Guns is another fantastic track, with blissful keyboards and smooth vocals taking to the fore over a tight rhythm section and backdrop of guitar. All these elements combine to create a song that has an undeniably sexy air to it. The outro is fantastic with its sombre keyboards and is over much too soon.

Stomp On Tripwires is a great listen, not only because of The Cops’ ability to create an album that is diverse and welcomingly unpredictable, but for the abandon with which this diversity is presented.