Rat Boy
Get Over It
New EP Released 26th August
“Distorted guitar and scabby, semi-political rants, it also features sampled interludes that point to Cardy's infatuation with hip-hop.” - THE FADER
“Cool shit man! Keep it going!” – Tyler, The Creator
“A potent mix of Blur’s cockney knees-up side, the urgency of The Libertines and Beastie Boys’ in-yer-face raps.” – NME
“Rat Boy is an unstoppable force of nature.” – National Geographic
“Rat Boy is the next in the lineage of Ian Dury and Mike Skinner.” – Noisey
“One of the UK’s most exciting new acts.” – DIY
RAT BOY begins a new chapter in his style in which he’s set to to create an immersive world which unites his music, visual style and art with the brand new track ‘Get Over It’ – the title track for his forthcoming EP which follows on August 26th.
Inspired as much by Beck’s anarchic disregard for genre with ‘Odelay’ as it is by the atmosphere of Tarantino’s ‘Jackie Brown’, ‘Get Over It’ finds RAT BOY’s raps rallying against the system. Set to a 70s bossa nova groove, it’s a track which demonstrates the next stage in the continuing evolution of his sound.
It’s an attitude which continues throughout the rest of the ‘Get Over It’ EP which mashes seemingly disparate influences into a cohesive vision, ranging from modern trap and punk to lost cuts from the worlds of USSR funk and retro Japanese folk.
In addition to the title track and the pounding beats and pitch-shifted vocals of its intro, ‘Kicked Outta School’ is a rebellious dub which complements the intensity of ‘Cash in Hand’. It signs off with the low-key, almost instrumental closer ‘Goodbye’.
Throughout, RAT BOY reprises musical motifs in changing contexts within different tracks (see the horn and synth lines in ‘Get Over It’ and ‘Cash In Hand’) to build an innovative, self-referential soundscape that’s also infused with the creative use of found samples.
The ‘Get Over It’ EP will be released digitally and on 12” vinyl, packaged with a zine featuring RAT BOY’s hand-drawn video storyboard for the accompanying video. It will also include the introduction of new characters to the world of RAT BOY: the adventures of Neptune and Scum.
RAT BOY’s creativity extends into other territories outside of music. In addition to creating the artwork to his singles, he has also directed, edited and produced the video for ‘Get Over It’ across several locations, ranging from Spanish deserts to burger diners and civil court rooms back home in the UK. The video features several prop details which he designed including the car, cereal boxes, books, food and clothing.
Elsewhere, RAT BOY’s clothing lines SCUM and SKATING KILLS (think 70s gangster meets modern skatewear) have been embraced by fans who have lined up after gigs to buy his limited edition collections and designs. In keeping with his plans to unite all his creative projects around his music, the SKATING KILLS logo makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in the ‘Get Over It’ video.
Throughout the year to date, RAT BOY’s growing acclaim has been matched with a succession of major award nominations. He started the year in style by being named on both the BBC Sound of 2016 longlist and the MTV Brand New for 2016 shortlist, and also won Best New Artist at the NME Awards.
His acclaim has been matched by the growing scale of his headline shows, his biggest being Electric Brixton at the start of summer (where the reaction was so riotous that he had to calm the crowd down before the show even started). In addition to his recent Glastonbury set, RAT BOY is set to hit the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August.
RAT BOY’s September UK headline tour is scheduled as below:
September – headline dates
16th – Sheffield, The Leadmill
17th – Manchester, Albert Hall
18th – Newcastle, University
19th – Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom
22nd – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
23rd – Oxford, O2 Academy 1
24th – Birmingham, O2 Institute
26th – Portsmouth, The Wedgewood Rooms
27th – Cambridge, Junction
28th – Bristol, Anson Rooms
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