Melbourne’s Cop–U–Laters aren’t messing around. Their debut, To The Bone, is pure, unfiltered hardcore punk—no track hits more than 45 seconds, and that’s exactly how they like it.
Made up of veterans from bands like VICIOUS CIRCLE, DREAD, and ABRASION, these guys know the scene inside out. They’ve taken their decades of experience and boiled it down into fast, raw, old-school hardcore, updated for 2024.
“Musically we are all into a lot of different genres but for this band we wanted to be very specific with our approach and initially decided to draw musical inspiration predominantly from 80’s hardcore bands like Cromags, Discharge, SSD, Circle Jerks and also to an extent bands like Vio-lence and Anthrax.” – says the band.
The band’s been kicking around since early 2023, when Paul (Lindsay) rang up some old mates and pitched the idea of putting together a set of short, relentless tracks inspired by ’80s hardcore legends like CRO-MAGS and DISCHARGE.
By March 2024, they were in Goatsound studio, laying down their first album in just one day. “We just went in knowing all our parts, had some fun, and threw our set down,” says Paul. And you can hear that no-nonsense attitude in every second of To The Bone.
With short bursts of energy, each track still manages to pack in verses, bridges, and choruses, compressed into a bite-sized chunk of chaos. It’s a soundtrack for those with no time for fluff, and in a world where attention spans are shrinking, it hits just right.
If you want the full scoop, dig into the full track by track commentary below.
Now vs Then
The comparison between now and the ’90s, when many of the members were deeply immersed in the metal and punk scenes, reveals a lot of changes—both positive and negative.
Back then, connection meant physically being part of a community: going to gigs, rehearsing in local studios, and browsing through independent record stores. As Paul reflects, “The only way to engage with other bands was to go to the gigs or hang out at the same rehearsal studio.”
Now, things are different. While there are still plenty of great bands coming out of Melbourne’s metal, hardcore, and punk scenes, the attendance at local gigs just doesn’t feel as consistent. Paul suggests that modern communication technology—FaceTime, YouTube, social media—plays a role in this shift, along with the rising cost of living. In the ’90s, it was all about finding out what was happening through local street press or showing up in person at a venue. Nowadays, people can share videos and have group chats from the comfort of home, which might be part of why fewer people are making the effort to show up at gigs.
“Obviously back then in the 80s, we traded vinyls, cassettes & exchanged letters. There was an entire network of bands, individuals, labels, fanzines and promoters who communicated throughout the World. Setting up releases, fanzines, tours was all done on a shoe string budget most of the time, in a local sense and internationally, with landline phone calls, letters and mail. This is pre internet, pre social media, a much simpler time in many ways. People just made things happen, l guess motivation and getting material out there, finding people who were in other countries who spoke a completely different language, who came from another culture and who you had something in common with, it’s really a positive thing if you think about it”. – says Paul.
From an audio production standpoint, the ’90s also demanded a higher level of preparation from bands. Tracking on now-outdated recording gear like ADATS and Digital 8 tracks meant you had to know your parts inside out.
Paul believes that while technology has made music production more accessible, it can sometimes sap the raw energy from the sound.
From his time recording in the 1980’s, Paul recalls, “with analogue recording systems in the 80s, the tape would run on the machine and you’d basically cut it live as a band, afterwards maybe lay down vocals or back ups, and do guitar leads or parts if needed. An entire album, might be recorded and mixed in the space of a day or two, so many bands did it that way as long studio time was prohibited due to the cost. l know most of us didn’t have a lot of money, so you had to know your parts. This made bands tight, gave recording a certain urgency, you can hear the energy”.
Track by track commentary
Paul, who has also been the mainstay vocalist of the legendary Melbourne hardcore punk band Vicious Circle, has provided a run down on the lyrical meaning behind songs that feature on “To The Bone”.
Violence
As a species we thrive on it, build industries around it and court it. It’s an observation word wise. The reality is that a life lived that way to the extreme will ultimately become the downfall of that individual.
Get The Drop
It’s a song confirming a positive outlook and relegating negative bullshit to the past. That’s the main focus of the words. l find with heavy music such as hardcore, punk and metal, many people have a sense of motivation and inspire good things. They are looking for something more that’s commendable and righteous, it extends past yourself.
To The Bone
There is this entire network of worlds, subatomic, insectoid, etc, that we have a day to day connection with that goes unnoticed by humans. I guess it’s all part of the cycle of existence. Some of these creatures and lifeforms would be truly terrifying if they happened to be the size of a dog or say a cow, basically we’d be fucked. Imagine an eight foot Scorpion.
Draw The Line
Simple, it’s about sobriety and looking at your life differently, doing something to make your world better. It’s a direct response to being clean, healthy and taking life on your own terms. It’s a personal choice and it’s not about judgment or waving flags. If you change its down to you.
Any Given Place
As we say in Australia “You have a case of the dickheads”. It’s tongue in cheek and goes through a lot of situations you shouldn’t put yourself in, it’s a humorous way of looking at it. l mean every day, people do things they supposedly thought about and no! They didn’t think and yes, shit happens!
Imminent
I have a fascination with Zombie films and books which I have had since l was a kid, horror in general. It strikes me that in many cases it start out as an infection, blood born virus or contagion, spread through a bite or cut and the infection becomes Imminent without any chance for normality to ever have a place, somewhat like if you had a rabid disease or infection. Just imagine if such a virus was airborne or spread like the common cold. Brains for dinner, guts for lunch.
No Cure
For some individuals how much is enough? How much suffering and hatred can they spread in the name of a political belief or cause that benefits them and creates untold suffering and heartache to everyday people they couldn’t give a fuck about. Look at the world we live in, how much abundance we have and the individuals that do this. They are not the cure, they are the disease.
Back Up Again
This comes from personal hardship; pain, illness or injury, our crew has personal experience and have lived it. That gives you a different perspective on life, how short and quickly things can change. It’s also a confirmation of the human spirit to fight on and say: “Fuck this! I am not done, l will carry on regardless“. You really find out who you are when it comes down to this situation.
Take A Hint
You can fool some people some of the time but you can’t fool people all of the time. If they are not the living dead, hopefully they have some sense of wrong or right. From what l can gather, people want a peaceful life for themselves, their families and friends. They don’t want trouble, war which is world wide and crosses all boundaries, whatever culture. This goes back thousands of years. A tyrant will always do as they please. Until.
Justify
Fact is some people don’t want what’s best for you and the best thing you can do is let them go on their way. Look at it like self preservation, keeping balance in your life, not chaos, don’t be drawn into the negative. Nothing good can come from it at all. Nothing!
Clear
Be content with who you are and what you are, don’t make excuses for having an opinion. If people are bothered by the truth, so be it. You know right where you stand. That’s not a bad thing. People can have different opinions about the same thing and still get along, humans have differing perspectives. lf it’s words, remember that.
Stand Your Ground
Self belief for anyone who doubts their potential or feels under the pump. Very simple, nothing complex. Fight on, when at times others may think you’re crazy. The environment and the mindset you adapt to creates the future. Stand your ground, self belief is powerful.
