Pre-order of Cult Of Ignorance. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
In America we put the guns on
With the Kevlar woven body armor
With a gunshot, we say “howdy neighbor”
It’s the way we say hello in this motherfucker
In America we put the boots down
Raised arms we’re ready for the chokehold
In America we are illiterate
Raise flags up ready for the drones
In America we love an idiot
We love the hard way, we love a honeytrap
Take a big fat hit of this pipe dream
Praise to the 9-to-5er choking on a bootstrap
In America we go Chapter Eleven
on the credit with the Ponzi Scheme
We love a grift in the gerrymander district
Honey it’s a brand new American Dream
The Worst Is Yet to Come
In America we love a trauma vest
On the kids at the Sunday school
Pray to Jesus, he’s our SLAYVIOR
Drop a dollar for the Golden Rule
In America we love a beatdown
For a minority, a “deviant,” a “snowflake”
In America it’s a lifestyle
It’s a quick buck, it’s a piss take
2.
Drugs feat. Plasmic
3.
Cowards
4.
Gunshine feat. Molly Leach
5.
Bad Times Are Here to Stay
6.
Shade feat. Tyler C
about
SICK JOKES "CULT OF IGNORANCE”
COP INTERNATIONAL's 100th Digital Release
OAKLAND, CA, May 3, 2024: COP International are excited to announce our digital centennial with a bold, boundary-pushing release from the global electro-pop-metal collective SICK JOKES. The EP draws title and inspiration from Isaac Asimov's timeless take on the pathologically false American notion that “democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” This is not just music, it’s a statement, and a sonic revolution—once again mixed and exec-produced by our own in-house wizard JOHN FRYER (4AD, NIN, DMODE…)
Says Sick Jokes vocalist/drummer SEAN HAEZEBROUCK, “Picture this: a fierce warrior goddess, riding a giant metal wasp, delivering a large order of protest anthems.” Haezebrouck, MICHAEL MADILL and ROBERT MCCARROLL, along with four powerful guest vocalists, have taken Sick Jokes to their apex predator phase here, with a six-chapter blast of social commentary wrapped in infectious grooves, dark humor and cover art that winks at Delacroix.
From the get-go, "CULT OF IGNORANCE" grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go as Los Angeles’s DEVON THOMPSON sets it all ablaze on "THE WORST IS YET TO COME.” Following in the number two position, ”DRUGS" features the Pinktator PLASMIC along with voiceover legend THOM KIKOT laying his dulcet baritone on the operative word before we move to Chapter 3: “COWARDS," which according to Haezebrouck is “a high-octane middle finger aimed straight at humanity’s failure to make amends for their very profitable enviromental catastrophe.”
As the EP progresses, the intensity doesn't waver. "GUNSHINE" beams a harsh spotlight on America's not-so-secret shame, with MOLLY LEACH's haunting vocals hitting you right in the full metal jacket. "BAD TIMES ARE HERE TO STAY" is an industrial anthem that harkens back to the genre's golden era, with a a gritty, bashing edge that nods to Bukowski and RevCo alike.
Closing out the EP is the dark and punishing “SHADE," featuring sultry vocals from the mysterious TYLER C, and ghostly soundscapes from the song’s OG guitarist DAVID JOHNSON. It's the perfect, enigmatic close to a musical journey that provokes the grey matter while banging the skull.
SICK JOKES have crafted something truly special here for our 100th… a psychosonic masterpiece that demands to be heard, felt, and reckoned with. Caveat auditor.
credits
releases May 3, 2024
SICK JOKES is Sean Haezebrouck | Michael Madill | Robert McCarroll
@sickjokesband
Vocals on “The Worst Is Yet to Come” by Devon Thompson
@devonthompsonmusic
Vocals on “Drugs” by Plasmic
@plasm1c
Vocals on “Gunshine” by Molly Leach
@mollydianedelman
Vocals on “Shade” by Tyler C
@boy.haunt
Produced by Sick Jokes
Mixed and Executive Production by John Fryer
Mastered by SLam/Stephen Lam
Drums on 1 & 2 recorded by Matt Parmenter, Ice Cream Factory Studio, Austin, TX
Drums on 3 & 4 recorded by Gavin Ross, Steady Studios, Burbank, CA
Cover art by Greg Rolfes
All songs except “Shade” Sporedom Music (BMI), Michael John Madill Music (BMI), 8Bit Problem Publishing (BMI). Sean plays Soultone Cymbals exclusively.
Thanks: Christian Petke, John Fryer, Devon Thompson, Plasmic, Molly Edelman, Tyler Carlson, David Johnson, Thom Kikot, Stephen Lam, Greg Rolfes, Matt Cantu, Justin Ivey, Kirill Slavin, Tony Hamera, Ed Donnelly, Walker Edelman, Midi the Fool, Henry Pardike, Gary True, Mary Vinette, Amy Culpert, Alec Haezebrouck and Poppy.
Darkwave synth that directly addresses our modern dystopian political environment, with proceeds going to the Voting Rights Project. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 17, 2018
Composed over the last three years, and honed live on stage, “Glacial Medicine” is bursting with wonderfully warped and dreamlike beats. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 16, 2022
