The Boomtown Rats - Citizens of Boomtown (Deluxe) (2022) [Hi-Res]

During their original ten-year run, Irish new wave combo the Boomtown Rats drove a bevy of hit singles across the U.K. pop charts, painting seedy pictures of the urban underbelly with a blend of snarling punk energy and pop sophistication on songs like "Rat Trap" and "Up All Night." They even made some noise across the pond with the anthemic "I Don't Like Mondays." As the '80s wore on, however, their star began to fade as enigmatic frontman, Bob Geldof, became increasingly involved with humanitarian efforts and, following his organization of the massive 1985 Live Aid charity concerts, the Rats eventually threw in the towel and disbanded a year later. They reunited as a part-time touring act in 2013 and in 2020, 36 years after their last release, they've made a rather unexpected return to the studio with their seventh album, Citizens of Boomtown. Although keyboardist Johnny Fingers and early-era guitarist Gerry Cott are both absent, the Rats of 2020 -- Geldof, guitarist Garry Roberts, bassist Pete Briquette, and drummer Simon Crowe -- are all original members, and despite the messy and uneven nature of this record, they each bring a surprising amount of energy to the project. After so lengthy a gap, it's hard to imagine what a modern day version of the Rats would sound like and to the band's credit, they don't spend a lot of time trying to recapture their early days. Instead, Citizens of Boomtown mines a busy hodgepodge of stylistic tropes that occurred during the group's absence, most notably a dated electronic dance influence that makes this album sound like it came out in the early-2000s. Grafting sizzling blues-rock guitar riffs onto pulsing techno beats, songs like "Get a Grip" and "The Boomtown Rats" miss their mark widely, yet are attacked so fervently that they almost work. That the Rats pour themselves so willingly into these odd experiments is a mystery, but there is an odd vitality even to the songs that fail. Far better suited to their talents are the nostalgic glam throw-back "Trash Glam Baby," the wistfully Beatles-like "Passing Through," and the irresistibly charming "Here's a Postcard," the latter of which turns a sunny two-chord folk-rocker into a richly arranged harmonic gem. The bright rave-up "K.I.S.S." is a confusing mix of ebullient bubblegum pop with a rap section that feels wholly out of place, yet is somehow not unlikeable. For his part, Geldof swaggers and snarls with plenty of charisma and acerbic wit while the group's strong vocal presence recalls the Rats of old. There is some good material here and they've certainly taken their reunion record somewhere unexpected, but as a whole, Citizens is a bit of an inconsistent mess. © Timothy Monger /TiVo