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Apr 10, 2019 Good Cop Bad Cop By Celine Teo-Blockey

Exploring a sonic path away from the Sheffield scene where Joe Carnall has held court since the early aughts—when The Milburns, his post-punk quartet were releasing ska-punk singles, selling out local rooms, and eventually landing a deal with Mercury Records—he sent his new demos to his old mate Matt Helders, before heading to Los Angeles to record Good Cop Bad Cop’s self-titled debut.

The comparisons to Helders’ main band Arctic Monkeys are inevitable. The two bands spent their teens playing “scrappy Sheffield venues together.” While the Monkeys went on to international success with two members moving Stateside—Carnall remained in the county, starting other musical projects when The Milburns called it quits.

He does well to address the elephant in the room immediately: “I’m going to write you a song/I’m going to write you a symphony/And if they tell me I’m wrong/I’ll say they’ve all got it in for me…life is hard when you’re not winning.” His knowing, Northern candor disarms. Before the watery synths and drum loop of “When You’re Not Winning” hits the chorus, you’re already rooting for him.

Other highlights: “Taste the Danger” has a winning Strokes-like refrain. The lo-fi, layered vocals of “Time Crisis,” buoyed by Helder’s falsetto and what sounds like a Septavox, synths, and drum machine—also offers lovely melodies and potent imagery like “the boy who wrestled with lightning.” Imagine being inside a vintage arcade game hitting all the power-ups, earning bonus points: that’s the happy high it delivers.

“Sharp Shooter” is less successful. The opening synths sound ‘80s—Van Halen’s “Jump?” It tries to segue like a psychedelic tune to something more mellifluous—and it is—but the two halves are jarring. Good Cop Bad Cop is a divergent path for Carnall but one well worth treading; thanks largely to the adroitness of his melodic lines, serviced well by Helder’s savvy, electro-minimalist production. (www.goodcopbadcop.co.uk)

Author rating: 7/10