Worlds Scariest Police Chases

Adolf Hipster [EP] (2015)

badseed

Well, I for one am glad they didn't break up. Apostrophe-eschewing Pittsburgh punk mob Worlds Scariest Police Chases are back with the pun-tastically titled Adolf Hipster 7-inch.

"Looks like a hipster, acts like a Hitler", begins the title track, and chances are you'll immediately find yourself singing along. Squarely taking aim at "scene politics and PC bullshit", it's a gleefully angry takedown of the punk police. It's the sort of song that would sound preachy from many other bands, but with Worlds Scariest Police Chases you know the tongues of their multiple vocalists are firmly in their cheeks. In case you were in any doubt, it also contains the line "You ain't punk, you think Strike Anywhere's cool", and, just to make doubly sure, "lighten up, we're just taking the piss".

The jokey song titles keep coming on the b-side. While their punk rock forefathers might have wanted to skate or die, WSPC are content to "Sk8 Or Not". Back to their usual brevity after the title track breached the two-and-a-half minute mark, in 51 seconds "Sk8 Or Not" pours a healthy dollop of drug-induced "meh" onto the positive attitudes of the youth crew bands whose sound they ape. The obsession with cops that was so prevalent on their last full length resurfaces on the closing "Badge Reputation", which does a nice line in gang vocals and sneering lyrics.

The humour extends to the packaging - what would you expect from a band who called their last album NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie? - with a fake "Phat Wreck Chords" logo in pride of place next to the real A-F symbol. It's a wonder these guys ended up on A-F Records - let's face it, Anti-Flag aren't exactly renowned for their sense of humour - but I'm glad they did. For me, they're the best band on the A-F roster since New Mexican Disaster Squad.

While it's certainly not a major departure from NOFX…, it neatly distills everything that's good about WSPC - and, chances are, everything that attracted you to punk rock in the first place - into a punchy six-minute package. It's fast, loud, foulmouthed, a little juvenile, and rails against authority figures wherever they are found. Mercilessly skewering both scene police and real police, it's a useful reminder that, in the words of the title track, "life is shitty and music is fun".