Rat Boy
Internationally Unknown
Release Date: Jan 25, 2019
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Punk-Pop
Record label: Parlophone
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Album Review: Internationally Unknown by Rat Boy
Very Good, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
From the Clash to Rancid and the Transplants, U.K. punk Rat Boy takes his place in this lineage with the help of veteran frontman of the latter two groups, producer Tim Armstrong. On Internationally Unknown, the artist born Jordan Cardy takes huge strides beyond his 2017 debut, capturing a defiant punk essence that is purely visceral and youthful, snotty fun.
Based on rating 3/5
In his continuing search for the sweet spot between hip hop and punk, Rat Boy has been taken under the wing of ska-punk veteran Tim Armstrong - best known for his bands Rancid and The Transplants - and as a result, he's never been so sonically ambitious. Plunging you into a pace with a force to give you whiplash, 'CHIP ON MY SHOULDER' is a rollicking homage to punk. A cacophonous chorus meets laid-back, reggae rhythms giving a distinctive flavour to the record.
Opinion: Fairly Good
"I was trying to find that sweet spot between hip-hop and punk," says Rat Boy, aka Jordan Cardy, of his latest record. This - and his reportedly authentic rebellion and Millenial snark - is enough to pique the interest of many a music fan. Echoes of early Beastie Boys, you say? Collaboration with Rancid's Tim Armstrong, huh? Sounds right up plenty of people's streets.
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