All you genre purists, take a hike. No, John Coffey may not be the purest of all hardcore bands, but they’re loud as shit and have been taking stages all over Europe by storm. Tomorrow they (pre-)release their EP A House for Thee in a sold out TivoliVredenburg and they were so kind to let us at L.A. take her out for a spin.

The video for title track ‘No House for Thee’ is a sharp inculpation at the lacklustre response by political leaders to the current refugee crisis, focusing more on keeping people out than helping our brothers in need. “Fed to the ocean, the minute you run to change, we will hunt you down.” Musically, the sound is classic Coffey. Filthy, loud, with singer David screaming on the top of his lungs. Heavy breakdowns and some good old southern guitar riffs.

The rest of the EP mainly explores the human condition in relation to society’s demands. ‘Nails on the Blackboard’ even sounds a tiny bit like the old Blood Brothers on a steady diet of ribs and fried chicken. “Don’t teach us to count, teach us what counts most,” a pamphlet for passing on true life values instead of a dry fact sheet.

‘Needles’ is a slower and darker track. The band takes it back a notch for a deeper and lower sound. Throughout the entire EP it seems that the experience of producer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Blacklisted, American Nightmare) helped to balance out John Coffey’s sound, which is heard best in both the loudest and most quiet parts of the album.

The Utrecht-based crew ends A House For Thee with the acoustic ‘Relief’ track, a quest for a new relation with religion and god. “I get what you want, but not who you are. But my faith was strong, is it fiction now?” Guitarist Chris’ vocals are a welcome addition to this track, which leans strongly on a both sensitive and slightly discomforting guitar loop.

Unless you spend your days in a cave, you probably saw these guys wrecking stages somewhere in the last couple of years. Well, put on your dancing shoes, ‘cause they are here to stay. Ever evolving, ever growing, ready to see another million faces and rock them all.

Track list – A House For Thee:

1. No House For Thee
2. Nails On The Blackboard
3. Needles
4. One Size Fits All
5. Relief

A House For Thee is officially out on March 11th via V2 Records.

John Coffey: Facebook / Twitter / Website

Written by Peter Kwint