The Cops

The swords belonging to frontman Simon Carter regularly appear on artwork and promotional images for Sydney band the Cops, serving as an apt emblem for a group that slices across rock subgenre lines with katana-like precision. Carter first shared basement demos with keyboardist and bassist Rebecca Darwon, previously of the Fireflyes, in 2003; her immediate enthusiasm prompted her to push for an instant collaboration and to select the band’s name herself. The initial roster coalesced around this pair, bringing in James Storrier, Andrew Gilbert, and Nick Kennedy.

One year on, the outfit issued a debut EP followed by the full-length Stomp on Tripwires on the independent Love Police Records and Tapes imprint. Despite strong results—including the radio- and club-friendly single “Wallet/Puffer/Smokes/Keys” and Carl Barat naming the album his top international release of the year in NME—the unit soon splintered when Storrier, Gilbert, and Kennedy departed over lifestyle strains and conflicting views on musical direction, leaving Carter and Darwon as the stable core.

Keyboardist Todd Smith, already on board, joined newcomers Jarrod Murphy on guitar and backing vocals plus Nicholai Danko on drums to complete the revised lineup, which then moved to the Inertia label for the 2006 EP 80 in the Shade. That release signaled a shift toward playful genre-skipping that touched disco, electro, funk, and kindred retro styles. The approach reached its peak with the 2007 album Drop It in Their Laps, tracked chiefly at Electric Avenue Studio; its lead single “Call Me Anytime,” accompanied by a clip featuring sky-surfing cyberpunk samurais, reached number 33 in the national JJJ Hottest 100, realizing a long-held ambition for Carter.