Review: YAKKIE - Kill The Cop Inside Your Head

Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell their name – YAKKIE is here with no fear, unabashedly queer, and with their mission statement unreservedly clear: death to the unrelenting horror that is misogyny, and death to all that stands in the way of freedom. Their debut album, Kill The Cop Inside Your Head, is neither a punchy punk call-to-arms, nor a portfolio of brilliantly thought-out political poetry; neither a rousing rally nor a grungy bath of sound – because it is all four of these things. All at once.

Fronted by JANEY STARLING of prior DREAM NAILS fame – one would be remiss to mention their utter anthem of Vagina Police – who’s vocals may remind of the legendary DOLORES O’RIORDAN in quality and sheer control, the YAKKIE supercluster of talent includes ROBIN GATT, bringing their fierce and instantly recognisable riffs directly from their time at PETROL GIRLS, LAURA ANKLES of COLOUR ME WEDNESDAY and her smooth, cushioning bass fantastically framing the ensemble, and MAEVE WESTALL of ITOLDYOUIWOULDEATYOU and JASMINE.4.T, who’s beautiful blending of frantic drumming ever-ready to break down truly takes YAKKIE’s sound to the next level. Multiplied together, it is as if listening to a reborn punk giant from the 1990s: a band whose posters once hung on your walls during better times, returning with an absolute bang.

And, truly, the accolades of this album begin long before the first strum of a guitar, in the exceptional artistry of YAKKIE. Special mention must be made to the bountiful and endless creativity that permanently flows through this project – from their psychedelic-grunge merch and album art bringing a distinguished band identity instantly, the talent in each member, and most notably, the album’s distribution. The art of DIY and self-publishing is a holy tradition, and YAKKIE are already its masters- Kill The Cop Inside Your Head recorded entirely analog, live, in one take, and personally published. YAKKIE’s presentation is legendary – and their sound is not one step behind.

YAKKIE’s art continues even into the album’s orchestration- many songs brilliantly designed to play in succession, highlighting their sound – and most importantly, message – in the utter experience of listening to this debut. The titular track Kill The Cop Inside Your Head, from its first semi-automatic volley of electric riffs, introduces the listener to YAKKIE’s style with an almost protest-like chant to “kill the panopticon inside your head”- all until a breakdown begging for a pit to collapse into itself to its refrain. With a great message truly informed by well-read anti-fascist thought, the seminal demand – to not “fall asleep in your enemy’s dream” is echoed in its importance by its accompanying, violent drop – a sure inspiration to emulate in pursuit of the cop-in-the-head.

What YAKKIE does next, however, is fascinating. Each following track well relates to the next – Criticise Me and He Sleeps Alone, first up, cement a much-deserved criticism of toxic masculinity and misogyny, protest songs about the ever-present patronisation and belittling that most men truly believe they should be allowed to get away with. Interestingly, these two also begin the pattern of genre play: YAKKIE is in no means boxed in by the speedier, riot punk of the titular track and explores sounds ranging from speedy skate sounds as in Rabbit’s Got A Gun, to beautifully haunting unplugged ballads, as in the case of Atlas.

The album’s structure allows these messages to be repeated in the progression from Right Of Reply into Secrets – where the sexism of individual men is expertly linked to the horror of structural misogyny. Anxious basslines, manic drumming and emotional vocals scream against the systemic murder of women and its subsequent downplaying in the media, and the ever-present sexual violence in the world order; the songs and their messages, especially in Secrets, made only more haunting and pertinent by recent political revelations. Lean Out stands out, particularly. The thrashiest, rawest track, it best showcases GATT’s talents as a savage riff dispenser, making YAKKIE’s anarcha-feminist intersectional power-ballad tying class consciousness and gender together even more enjoyable. Despite the horrors, the album ends on a much-deserved high note. The longest track, Under The Pavement Is The Beach is a holistic exposure of the world’s political rot, capitalism’s woes and unrelenting genocide. But, and this is most important: “even when up is down we will find a way out” – and for all the true cruelty and savagery of the world, when drawn together, the people united can never be defeated.

YAKKIE is an ensemble that doesn’t seem as if they’re going from debut into the pages of punk history – because they’ve already been in those hallowed pages; they’re only here to reclaim their throne. The majority of songs here all feel unique and loved, and all are important to listen to: it is telling one of the few criticisms we have is the admittedly subjective desire for more grunge and skate punk Rabbit’s Got The Gun in future releases- but such specificity pales in comparison to the brilliant diversity and creativity on offer with this debut.

Score: 8/10

Kill The Cop Inside Your Head will be self released on the 13^th of February 2026

Words: Jakub Tomasz Czaicki

Photos: YAKKIE