Album Review: RAT BOY - 'SUBURBIA CALLING'
Essex rapscallions RAT BOY win you over with their wayward ska.
Opening their newly released album ‘SUBURBIA CALLING’ with ‘Mob Mentality’ RAT BOY channel the ska energy of Madness. Their chaotic, youthful sound captures the spirit of debauchery with the lyric ‘He acts like scarface on a Friday night’ a nod to the mad antics of a mad weekend bender. An eclectic, intoxicating fusion of punk, ska and hip hop, RAT BOY are a unique outfit. ‘One In A Million’ is a wry social commentary with its ironic lyric: ‘Everybody wants an easy win but they don’t want to put the hard work in’ striking a chord with modern working culture.
RAT BOY started as solo singer Jordan Cardy, so called because his school friends said he looked like a rodent – now joins up with a band, all four of them on the cover of their album.
A deft change in tempo in ‘Every Little Helps’ is followed by the infectious ‘Suburbia Calling’ , with its Essex inspired line: ‘The only way is Essex, because London’s too expensive’ again showing their knack for a clever turn of phrase and a nod to their humble background as a group of boys from Chelmsford.
With fans including the likes of Babyshambles, their new single ‘She’s The One’ soundtracks the excitement of a new romance with the poetic line ‘I was picking up the pieces of my life's jigsaw, she came out of nowhere and I couldn't ignore’ epitomising their youthful charm that will win them many more fans. RAT BOY are a band increasingly on the rise, are making waves and are sure to smash the festival circuit in what looks like a very promising journey for these Essex boys done good.
Words by Brendan Sharp
