INTRODUCING: COPE

Having a strong backbone and a real conviction is without doubt the way that the best music is made. Be it a pure passion for the music itself, or the message within the lyrics about an issue, when that spark ignites there’s no stopping it. Here, we spoke to London based six-piece COPE, who’s fire burns deep and whose music speaks volumes.

“We like to be described as heavy punk,” says Josh, “basically a general mash of punk, hardcore, metal, crossover.” While there have been a few iterations of the band, Josh and Ed met online, both looking for bandmates. Through a successive link through online connections and finding each other in a domino effect, one member introducing another and so on. Now, the band consists of Tom Walker [vocals], Jay Miller [guitars/vocals], Jason Heightman [bass/vocals], Josh Bowles [guitars], Ed Thompson [studio guitar] and Solomon Radley [drums].

COPE’s debut record The Shock Doctrine tackles some pretty huge global issues that should hit home on a personal level for listeners. Those issues of the global climate crisis and the dissonancy of human nature are a big part of driving this unrelenting record. “I think the state of the world is probably what fuels us and keeps us going,” Josh adds, that’s partly why this project happened in the first place- I was writing lyrics before we has even formed, simply because I was angry and frustrated at the way the political landscape was at the time and also incredibly angry at the insurmountable injustices happening in the world. I felt quite useless actually, and the only way I could deal with those feelings was writing.”

While it’s impossible to take away the heart of the record and what COPE stand for, as the guys eloquently comment. “You can say what you mean but you need to mean what you say […] have some conviction and be prepared to back it up.” However, the enjoyment of the performance goes so hand in hand with the message, half the battle of getting a message out is to create compelling music in itself. “Above all else I want people to enjoy it,” Josh notes on the release of The Shock Doctrine, “After all, we’re a band, not a political party, so ultimately our role is to produce banging tunes to listen to, but I do hope that the message we’ve put out is received and makes people think a little more outwardly. We’re so consumed with out own lives nowadays that as a society we’re grown quite apathetic, so if we make just one person think differently and more compassionately then I’d call that a success.”

“I’d hope that we would draw people to a show because it’s a different experience to listening to out records. We’re actually quite silly live, as we do all our talking in our songs, so we take those live opportunities to have some fun and enjoy ourselves.”

With such a blazing sound, so rich in spitting riffs and passionate delivery, it doesn’t take long to grasp the mood and mindset of COPE. “The record as a whole is a pretty scathing commentary on the political and social climate over the past couple of years,” Jay explains. “I think given the current situation; people are going to be looking for answers. While we don’t hold them, we at least try to point the finger at the structures which are culpable for the messes we’ve found ourselves in.

With a title like The Shock Doctrine, the record has a very acute theme before you’ve even listened to the music. “It perfectly encapsulates the message that we’re trying to get across, and the urgency of that message,” Josh explains. “The general theme around the album is climate change and that the planet is warming faster than anyone had previously thought, so we needed a title that conveyed the seriousness of what we’re talking about.”

As the band’s first full length record, it was important to have a fixed goal to hone their collective creativity on to. “I remember Josh and I had a conversation pretty early on in the writing process about the strengths of the EP’s,” Jay recounts, “what came out of it was essentially, ‘really fast and heavy with some big riffy breakdowns’, so that’s what we ran with. I think the slowest we have is still nearly 200 BPM so we definitely managed the fast part! More broadly I think we’ve definitely managed what we set out to do, however I like how the record has some breathing space with moments of melody.”

With that all being said, it seems more than ever that the feeling of punk and the ethos of music will be needed once the world finds it’s feet again “I think these songs will translate really well into a live setting,” Jay assures enthusiastically. “They’re short, sharp and intense, and I want people to leave our shows feeling like they’ve been hit by a freight train.”

The Shock Doctrine is out now via self-release.

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