RAT BOY’s ever-adventurous voyages across genres have taken the band, fronted by
Jordan Cardy, on similarly sprawling journeys across the globe. But wherever they go, they inevitably find themselves boomeranging back to their
Essexhomelands. And that’s the topic that
RAT BOY explore as they share their new single
‘SUBURBIA CALLING’, their first new music in over two years. Listen
HERE.
Bringing together spiky indie-pop thrills with Jordan’s drawling semi-rapped vocals,
‘SUBURBIA CALLING’ could be a big beat
Blur, or
The Streets had they emerged mid-Britpop. As we’ve come to expect,
RAT BOY’s musical anarchy is the backdrop to
Jordan’s distinctly
British lyricism, his postcard pictures of small town culture providing equal measures of insight and humour.
‘SUBURBIA CALLING’ is
RAT BOY’s response if
Essex ever needed its own national anthem. Priced out of
London, you’re back in a world of commuters, curtain-twitching neighbours and
Union Jacks – and you know what? It’s good to be back home. While it’s specifically about
Essex,
‘SUBURBIA CALLING’ will be relatable to anyone in the satellite towns or outer travel zones near any big city.
Jordan says,
“This is a love letter to the suburbs. It made us and shaped us. It’s good to be back.”
‘SUBURBIA CALLING’ was produced by the renowned
Stephen Street (
Blur,
The Smiths,
Kaiser Chiefs). It was written by
Jordan alongside the track’s co-producer
Sam Preston (
jxdn,
MOD SUN).
When
RAT BOY first emerged with his debut collection
‘THE MIXTAPE’ (which recently debuted on
Spotify) he immediately earned a one to watch reputation, his genre agnostic style and biting lyricism encapsulating his generation’s experiences. But
RAT BOY was only going to play by his own rules. Initially a solo project,
RAT BOY evolved into a full band identity (with guitarist
Harry Todd, bassist
Liam Haygarth and drummer
Noah Booth) with the more visceral spirit and darker themes of their debut album
‘SCUM’ nonetheless firing them into the
UK Top 15.
RAT BOY’S next stop was a leftfield turn into the
American punk scene, working with its pivotal figures such as
Tim Armstrong (
Rancid,
Operation Ivy) and
Brett Gurewitz (
Bad Religion,
Epitaph Records) as well as touring with
The Interrupters and earning the admiration of
Mike Shinoda (
Linkin Park). It was an experience that resulted in the album-length mixtape
‘INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN’ and the follow-up
‘GOVERNMENT VACATION’ EP. Since then,
RAT BOYhave focused on their other related projects (
LOWLIFE’s ‘PAY DAY’ album and a mixtape from
MILA) and brand new music, with only sporadic live shows in
2023 with a gig as special guests to
YUNGBLUD and a hometown warm-up in
Chelmsford.
Expect more news from
RAT BOY soon.