This is the third studio album from Southern Californian punkers Bad Cop/ Bad Cop, and it certainly is a ride and a half. Taking musical cues from the \”classic Fat Wreck\” sound, you\’ve got the style that bands like Lagwagon, Tilt or No Use For A Name helped make world-famous, but is delivered in a way that only BC/ BC can. Their trademark use of multi-layered female vocal harmonies lifts The Ride far above its completion and the bands contemporaries.

A lot of thought has gone into structuring these songs. What\’s more, that emphasis on the vocal harmonies give the songs an almost (off) Broadway feel to them. Take Perpetual Motion Machine for example, I can easily picture this on the big stage. It does give their sound a unique dimension, as songs are often written around the guitar work or main tune, whereas on The Ride, everything is very much vocal-driven. That\’s not to say the instruments take a back seat, they don’t as every moment of this record is executed to perfection.

As in all those big shows, there’s a story being told on The Ride, one that’s riddled with strong political sentiment, like standing against Trump\’s immigration policy and the personal tales of overcoming hardship. All in all if you love that Fat sound but want to hear it with a slightly different twist, then Bad Cop/ Bad Cop are probably the band that you’ve been looking for…  Tom Chapman

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