Good Cop Bad Cop

Good Cop Bad Cop is the brainchild of Joe Carnall Jnr – a long-time darling of the Sheffield music scene. Carnall rose to prominence as the frontman of 00s indie band Milburn who have enjoyed an incredible resurgence since their return six years ago. They are still the only artist to play their hometown O2 Academy on four consecutive nights, totting up an incredible 9,000 ticket sales.

However, Carnall has always been one to look forward instead of back. In 2018 he began writing what would become Good Cop Bad Cop’s debut offering, which was recorded in Los Angeles, USA. Although 2024’s follow-up was put together closer to home, the guitars were left in their cases for the most part, with Carnall and producer Gold Teeth (Andy Nicholson) opting to further push the synth and hip-hop undertones. The result is something that somehow sounds like both then and now.

When asked about the palette of the record, Carnall explains: “Over the past few years, I’ve been intrigued by the soundclash of guitars and electronic music; I was listening to a lot of New Order at the time of writing Welcome to the Marble Zone. Apart from the obvious ‘Hooky’ bass lines and 808-inspired drum sounds, I became a little obsessed with Bernard Sumner’s vocal melodies as well as his delivery. You can hear this on tracks like ‘Running Away With The Circus’. There are also other influences in there. Dig around and you’ll find Talking Heads, Gorillaz, Baxter Drury, LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala and even a bit of Kraftwerk.’