Review JOHN COFFEY “Not Alone”

Even if you’ve never heard a John Coffey song, chances are you’ve seen the video of their singer catching a flying beer cup at Pinkpop 2015. The clip went viral and turned that moment into a piece of festival history. But John Coffey are much more than a band with a frontman who happens to have great reflexes — and the five guys from Utrecht make that pretty clear on their new album.

Not Alone is the title of the record, which brings ten new songs to the table. After entering a long hiatus in 2016, John Coffey returned in 2023 with FOUR, marking the start of a new chapter for the band. Now they’re back with the next installment, sounding as loud, energetic and uncompromising as you’d expect.

It’s the combination of hardcore, punk and rock that gives this record its kick. The opener, “Hang the Choir,” makes it clear from the first seconds that John Coffey aren’t interested in taking the easy route. The album gets off to a crashing start, showing that the band haven’t lost their spirit during their time away — nor have they started chasing whatever happens to be fashionable. They simply step on the gas.

For all the intensity and aggression, though, John Coffey never lose sight of a good melody. “It’s You” is a good example. The track puts frontman David Achter de Molen’s rough-edged voice front and center, then wraps it in catchy alternative-rock melodies. That gives the song a broader appeal without taking away its character, while the sing-along moments should make it a natural crowd favorite during live shows.

Just when things start getting a little too colorful, “Do Not Teach” comes along with a healthy dose of anger. The title pretty much says it all. Then there’s the furious “Call of the Bear,” which highlights just how much musical ground John Coffey are willing to cover. Blistering pace, melodic passages and a wild opening underline just how unpredictable these five guys from Utrecht can be.

That unpredictability continues with the slightly grungy “I Don’t Care, I Won’t Give Up On You” — the kind of track that might just have you digging that old flannel shirt back out of the closet.

Grooving hard and running on a fully charged battery, “Hope In – Fear Out” blasts from the speakers and carries a distinctly optimistic message. The title also fits neatly into one of the album’s bigger themes: connection. That idea is reflected in the album title itself — Not Alone.

Overall, John Coffey return with a lively, high-energy record that refuses to sit still. These songs are wild, restless and largely unrestrained. It sounds as if the band put some of the energy built up during their hiatus straight into the writing process and turned it into another angry, hard-hitting album.

Not Alone also shows just how much room there is within hardcore and punk to explore different sounds without losing sight of the rebellious spirit at their core.