RATBOY The opening chapter of RAT BOY’s career took the young musician from the confines of his home studio in Essex to being sampled by Kendrick Lamar, collaborating with Damon Albarn and touring with Liam Gallagher. Unknown when he released his official debut single ‘Sign On’, RAT BOY started accomplishing all manner of seemingly unobtainable achievements. His debut album ‘SCUM’ shot into the upper reaches of the charts; he headlined London’s huge O2 Academy Brixton; and travelled all over the world.

After dropping the ‘CIVIL DISORDER’ EP early in 2018, he wanted a fresh approach for his second full-length project. “I wanted to do it completely differently because the first album took so long,” he says, referring to the two-and-a-half year journey from ‘SIGN ON’ to ‘SCUM’. “I was constantly learning how to use equipment and how to produce, but that’s not writing a song. I also wanted to make something more personal, more raw and that reflects more of who I am.”

RAT BOY had often mentioned his love of Tim Armstrong’s bands Transplants and Rancid during interviews. That praise led to the L.A. punk veteran discovering the young Chelmsford upstart, also known as Jordan Cardy.

Separated by 30 years of age and the Atlantic Ocean, RAT BOY and Armstrong sound like the very definition of an odd couple. But they immediately connected on their first phone call through a shared love for mixing the visceral energy of punk with hip-hop beats. But the pair are closer than you’d think. They share similar influences and often reflect on their upbringing in their lyrics.

“I was trying to find that sweet spot between hip-hop and punk, and Tim really understands that stuff,” recalls RAT BOY. That connection continued at Armstrong’s Shiprec Studios, where he had recently finished producing The Interrupters’ latest album. “The first day we worked together it was like we had the same sort of energy. We made three or four demos in the way first day, and wanted to carry on working all day and night. It was sick.”

The duo explored all kinds of experimental production ideas. They’d chop up drum breaks and then filter them through a tape machine to capture an old punk vibe, or deploy double-time beats on a verse to create a rush of energy. RAT BOY even learned how to play Armstrong’s left-handed guitar upside down, which resulted in riffs far different from what he’d usually play.

The result is a collection of songs which feel unified while extending RAT BOY’s eclectic sound. The title track ‘INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN’ was the one of the first to be written but almost the last to be completed. That persistence resulted in the album’s most anthemic moment, with the contrasting BPM of the verse and the chorus making for a hook that will be hollered back by audiences at future shows.

‘CHIP ON MY SHOULDER’ commences the album in a fireball of aggro and snotty attitude, like a flashback to a youthful punch-up between Black Flag and the Beastie Boys. That punk charge also informs ‘FLIES’ - think Green Day tackling new wave with inventive production techniques. Meanwhile, ‘I WANNA SKATE’ would fit the soundtrack of a classic Tony Hawk game.

At the other extreme, ‘DON’T HESITATE’ is a riot of loops and boisterous beats, with flashes of Run DMC and Rebel MC backing RAT BOY’s high charisma rhymes. And 'NIGHT CREATURE' (featuring Aimee Interrupter) feels like a dub reggae update on The Clash's 'Bankrobber'.

The project was completed during three visits to Los Angeles, amounting to a total of two months’ work. RAT BOY’s live band joined him for sessions, and producer Armstrong also contributed an improvised guest vocal to ‘No Peace, No Justice’. Other collaborators included former Aggrolites bassist J Bonner and The Interrupters’ rhythm section. John King of The Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Beck) added further production elements.

‘INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN’ is a record which sees a shift in RAT BOY’s outlook. He paraphrases a quote he admires from Mike Skinner (“When you go abroad for the first time, you see England from a different perspective”), and his depictions of day-to-day British life are more focussed than ever before. He also lifted inspiration from newspaper headlines (‘No Peace, No Justice’) and delved deeper into his imagination for ‘Don’t Hesitate’, a lyric which explores the conflict between outlaws and the police during post-apocalyptic disorder.

It helped that RAT BOY connected with the L.A. scene: not only with his collaborators, but also with the local skateboarding community. “We all grew up watching the same stuff on YouTube, so we had a lot in common with them and clicked with people who are on our level.”

‘INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN’ will be released through Parlophone in the UK and Hellcat Records in the States. RAT BOY hopes that the punk label’s “wicked history of great bands” will enable him to fulfil a lifelong ambition “to tour in America in some old van, going around being crazy.”

Longer term, RAT BOY is looking to the multi-talented Armstrong as a blueprint for his own future. “I want to keep doing this, and to be able to release a record every twelve months,” he concludes. “Working with Tim, I see that everyday he’s making art or music and has different projects on the go. That’s what I want out of life. I want to make stuff every day or I get bored and anxious.”