Synthpunk Auteur Johnny Cocteau Spits Poetic Roses With “Jukebox Preachers”

Johnny Cocteau, the self-described “by-product of the Anthropocene,” is beaming fascinating arrangements from their perch on the astral plane. Cocteau’s unique “Styrofoam poetry” is seasoned with a savoury mix of No Wave, synthpunk, coldwave and aluminum in a microwave. The sounds of retro-future, the buzzing of our collective stress-induced migraine, Jukebox Preachers is a thoughtful pause in a frantic dystopia; a smoke break on the front stoop. The song and seminal album comprise a reflective collection of thoughts about political unrest and the toll on the human psyche.

The second track on the EP, When Cops Will Be Crying, is a plea to end cop-incited violence in the streets, sharply criticising the role of the police. The track distills the rage of NWA’s Fuck The Police and Public Enemy’s entire magnum opus, into a musical atmosphere drenched in post-apocalyptic sorrow and the sluggish brain space following a handle of Jack Daniels.