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Rat Boy – Civil Disorder Album Review



Rat Boy’s unique seven-part project entitled ‘CIVIL DISRODER’ encapsulates life as a young adult in a world that seems out to get us. Rebellion, self-loathing and popular culture are all intertwined to create what can only be described as a bewildering collection of hearty gang-chant tracks. 

Chelmsford chap Rat Boy, also known by real name Jordan Cardy, has caused a stir in the indie-hip hop music scene with a surprise Soundcloud album drop earlier this year. The self-titled “loud and annoying” singer-songwriter’s scathing debut album 'SCUM' was released in the summer of last year, and was pursued by a manic string of sold out UK tours. Rat Boy quickly rose to fame within the hip hop scene when Kendrick Lamar sampled his track Knock Knock in 2017. His new project ‘CIVIL DISORDER’ came ahead of Cardy accelerating into 2018 with the announcement of a flurry of shows which kicked off in Glasgow in January. The overall tone of the project takes on a similar approach regarding the impending doom teens face today that he has addressed in previous work, fusing hip hop with indie rock and punk.

Speaking on his new project, Rat Boy explains that “I’ve been listening to a lot of early 80s American punk and 70s punk from the UK. I want to get that energy mixed with the production of the new hip-hop records that I’m into.” It is clear to see through listening to this album that the punk genre has heavily influenced Rat Boy’s music this time round. The repetitive, slurring vocals displayed especially in tracks ‘TEENAGE TEARAWAY’ and ‘BE MY ANIME’ eerily mimic those of the likes of the Ramones and Green Day, allowing a sense of nostalgia and reminiscence to linger atop the overall mood of the tracks. Undeniably, Rat Boy has been extremely vocal on his political stance in the past, speaking out on issues regarding Brexit and Theresa May in past music ventures. CIVIL DISORDER is no exception,  with tracks such as ‘SLAVE TO THE SYSTEM’ which brings to light valid issues of entrenched social inequality, and ‘PUBLIC IDENTITY’ which calls out the difficult living standards for young people in London. All tracks on this project have an underlying sense of dread and disgust towards the government, with Rat Boy’s scorching cynicism an undeniable flame that fueled this work.

Whilst the political messages are well and truly received through this seven-part piece, Rat Boy has again been faced with the issue that the repetitive, simple lyrics and sweeping statements aren’t as nuanced as his punk rock inspirations would have been. Whilst it could be argued that Rat Boy has been able to get across a strong political message time and time again in his work, lyrics such as “I’m a teenage tearaway / I’m a tearaway teen” and “I'm unstable / Like a three legged table” does little to inspire a generation and instead seems to suggest that Cardy has succumbed to the pressures of capitalism and made this music more for the money and less for what he originally pursued his music career for – the fans.




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