BIO

Regardless of its length or speed, its instrumentation or lyrical content, it seems that some music either is or isn't punk-rock; there's no need to classify any further than that. Sometimes, it takes a band like The Fucking Cops to see this. The band's raw, almost raucous songs epitomize punk-rock with such explosive passion and, on Fuck You Up With Some Truth-the band's sophomore EP to be released by Kind of Like Records, Bermuda Mohawk Productions, and the band's Big Purple Records this spring-The Fucking Cops display a searing, disheveled aesthetic and provide music with a modern definition of punk-rock.

Conceived after the collapse of Vietnam Werewolf, The Fucking Cops revolves around singer/guitarist Jon Rybicki and drummer Andy Merrill; the duo are joined regularly on stage by bassist Shannon Sullivan and guitarist Josh Durocher-Jones, who also contributed to Fuck You Up With Some Truth. Recorded by John Delzoppo at Negative Space, a former venue in Cleveland that used to house The Tower, the record expresses uninhibited intensity. For example, "Sweating or Freezing", the record's second track, pops at a stressed pace against the smear of bluesy, sweaty guitars; featuring Ian Graham from Cheap Girls, the song is about the struggles of being on the road. This punk-rock exterior, combined with an expressive interior, led The Fucking Cops to include unique artwork to accompany each song on the twelve-inch EP, including illustrations by Lauren Denitzio of The Measure [SA] and Jason Lubrano of Iron Chic.

Maybe this additional depth makes The Fucking Cops more than "simply punk-rock," but maybe it doesn't; maybe breaking the rule that punk must be simple and bitter makes them more punk-rock. At the very least, The Fucking Cops are making music that's fulfilling in both a stylistic and artistic sense.