The RAT BOY gang has been everywhere in the world, but nowhere is as beautiful as home. With the release of their new album "SUBURBIA CALLING" today, they present stories inspired by their hometown of Essex - but also a microcosm of British culture that reflects in our green and sometimes pleasant country.
"SUBURBIA CALLING" opens with the new single "MOB MENTALITY", which aptly summarizes the range of influences that run throughout the entire set. Lively 2.0 rhythms drive the energy level up before the hook bursts into rough punk-meets-Britpop energy. And what embodies British small-town life better than the eternal conflict between restless youth and their curtain-twitching, tabloid-reading middle-class elders?
The link to MOB MENTALITY is as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQkgKT2Yf7o
RAT BOY singer/guitarist Jordan Cardy explains: "MOB MENTALITY was a last-minute addition and a taste of what’s to come. I think it sums up what our sound is. Energetic punk-ska-Brit whatever, writing about what we know. I think it’s my favorite on the album and I think it’s important that the first track of an album sets the tone for the rest of the album."
From "MOB MENTALITY" on, RAT BOY really kicks off and rarely lets up, whether they are contrasting sweet ska rhythms with a pounding punk hook in "RUDY'S WORLD" or taking us back to the heyday of early 2000s indie pop with "BEST IS YET TO COME". There are also bolder moments like the vaudevillian, Madness-inspired "BOY WONDER" and "ESSEX LAND", an unofficial state anthem that sounds like a brilliant mix of "Parklife" and the theme tune from "Only Fools And Horses".
Jordan adds: "I wanted to sing about Essex. That’s where we live, and when you grow up somewhere, you notice things there. There’s so much to draw from. Essex is really close to London, but it’s different in many ways. We have a lot of freedoms here, we’ve built a place where we can record, rehearse, and hang out, something you can’t have in London. I wanted to write about Essex and England, our early songs were like that, but I hadn’t written like that in a while. It felt like a good time to write about Essex again."
The album, which also includes the current singles "ONE IN A MILLION", the title track, "BAD MAN", and "SHE'S THE ONE", was shaped by two central creative approaches. It is the first album where RAT BOY is officially a band and not just Jordan's solo project. And the band members Liam Haygarth (bass), Harry Todd (guitar), and Noah Booth (drums) infuse the songs with their signature frenetic performances, which renowned producer Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths) then worked on alongside demo recordings to give the album a raw energy without compromising its finesse.
"SUBURBIA CALLING" is the third RAT BOY album following the UK Top 15 debut "SCUM" and the punk/hip-hop anarchy of the follow-up "INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN", where they collaborated with Rancid/Operation Ivy legend Tim Armstrong and toured North America with The Interrupters.
RAT BOY has only played sporadic shows this year: an intimate London headliner at The Lower Third and the Epitaph / Hellcat / ANTI showcase at the Reeperbahn Festival. But that will change with the announcement of the UK tour next month, which also includes a show at London's The Garage.
"SUBURBIA CALLING" opens with the new single "MOB MENTALITY", which aptly summarizes the range of influences that run throughout the entire set. Lively 2.0 rhythms drive the energy level up before the hook bursts into rough punk-meets-Britpop energy. And what embodies British small-town life better than the eternal conflict between restless youth and their curtain-twitching, tabloid-reading middle-class elders?
The link to MOB MENTALITY is as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQkgKT2Yf7o
RAT BOY singer/guitarist Jordan Cardy explains: "MOB MENTALITY was a last-minute addition and a taste of what’s to come. I think it sums up what our sound is. Energetic punk-ska-Brit whatever, writing about what we know. I think it’s my favorite on the album and I think it’s important that the first track of an album sets the tone for the rest of the album."
From "MOB MENTALITY" on, RAT BOY really kicks off and rarely lets up, whether they are contrasting sweet ska rhythms with a pounding punk hook in "RUDY'S WORLD" or taking us back to the heyday of early 2000s indie pop with "BEST IS YET TO COME". There are also bolder moments like the vaudevillian, Madness-inspired "BOY WONDER" and "ESSEX LAND", an unofficial state anthem that sounds like a brilliant mix of "Parklife" and the theme tune from "Only Fools And Horses".
Jordan adds: "I wanted to sing about Essex. That’s where we live, and when you grow up somewhere, you notice things there. There’s so much to draw from. Essex is really close to London, but it’s different in many ways. We have a lot of freedoms here, we’ve built a place where we can record, rehearse, and hang out, something you can’t have in London. I wanted to write about Essex and England, our early songs were like that, but I hadn’t written like that in a while. It felt like a good time to write about Essex again."
The album, which also includes the current singles "ONE IN A MILLION", the title track, "BAD MAN", and "SHE'S THE ONE", was shaped by two central creative approaches. It is the first album where RAT BOY is officially a band and not just Jordan's solo project. And the band members Liam Haygarth (bass), Harry Todd (guitar), and Noah Booth (drums) infuse the songs with their signature frenetic performances, which renowned producer Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths) then worked on alongside demo recordings to give the album a raw energy without compromising its finesse.
"SUBURBIA CALLING" is the third RAT BOY album following the UK Top 15 debut "SCUM" and the punk/hip-hop anarchy of the follow-up "INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN", where they collaborated with Rancid/Operation Ivy legend Tim Armstrong and toured North America with The Interrupters.
RAT BOY has only played sporadic shows this year: an intimate London headliner at The Lower Third and the Epitaph / Hellcat / ANTI showcase at the Reeperbahn Festival. But that will change with the announcement of the UK tour next month, which also includes a show at London's The Garage.
