Rickkert Reviews: Coocoo-How Did We Get This Far

A little over a month ago the Dutch punks of Coocoo released their Debut Ep “How Did We Get This Far?” This is a release I have been excited about, since its first single was released. Let’s see if I was right to be excited.

Opener “Audioslave” immediately kicks your teeth in with its shouty vocals, fuzzy guitars and pounding drums. Lyrically the song talks about sexism and objectification within the music world.

Second up is title track “How Did We Get This Far?” which follows the trend set by the first track and is filled with the same energetic vocals but with a more anthemic quality. The fuzzy guitars get more time to shine and the whole band gets into the vocals this time. The chorus also has a better hook to it, with the title basically being its center point . Lyrically the song tells a grime tale and asks the question if we aren’t doomed to repeat history.

On to my favorite track on the Ep “Broken Matches”, in compression with the previous two songs, this one is more mellow, with that being said it still brings plenty of fuzz. Lyrically the song paints the picture of violence, and the urge to start over. The steady flow and hook on the chorus are what makes this my favorite of the Ep.

Next up “Listen Sharon”, this one brings.. You guessed it more fuzz, pounding drums and overall energy. The vocals have more grove behind them for this track. The bridge is more instrument filled and the overall song is a blast. Lyrically the song talks about the effects of alcohol and the toxicity it can bring to a person and its relation ships. This song feels to short for me.

Ep closer “God(B)less America” has a familiar feel to it and has a more poppy feel to it, this is also the only track that seems to feature synths. Lyrically the song gives social commentary about the state of America and by extension the world.

Lyrically most of the ep is focused on social commentary and anger at the world, in short the Ep does what it sets out to do and it absolutely kicks your teeth in. With that being said some of the subject matter does feel cliché at some points, the Ep does make up for it in energy in some ways.