Citizens of Boomtown is the seventh studio album by Irish band The Boomtown Rats, released on 13 March 2020 via BMG.[1] It is the band's first album since 1984's In the Long Grass, and the first album to be recorded as four-piece band, as the keyboardist Johnnie Fingers didn't return when the band was reunited in 2013.[2] It is also the last album to feature longtime guitarist Garry Roberts who died on November 8, 2022.

Citizens of Boomtown
Studio album by
Released13 March 2020
StudioBrick Music, Acton, London; Barnstorm Studios
Length41:13
LabelBMG
ProducerPete Briquette
The Boomtown Rats chronology
In the Long Grass
(1984)
Citizens of Boomtown
(2020)

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
The Guardian     [5]
The Irish Times     [6]
Louder Than War8/10[7]

Citizens of Boomtown was met with mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 58, based on 6 reviews.[3] Thomas H. Green of The Arts Desk rated the album 3 out of 5 stars.[8]

Track listing edit

All tracks composed by Bob Geldof; except where indicated

  1. "Trash Glam Baby"[9] – 3:52
  2. "Sweet Thing" – 3:10
  3. "Monster Monkeys" (Geldof, Pete Briquette) – 4:25
  4. "She Said No" – 3:55
  5. "Passing Through" (Geldof, Pete Briquette) – 4:35
  6. "Here's a Postcard" – 3:52
  7. "K.I.S.S." (Geldof, Pete Briquette) – 3:10
  8. "Rock 'n' Roll Yé Yé" (Geldof, Darren Beale) – 4:54
  9. "Get a Grip" – 4:00
  10. "The Boomtown Rats" (Geldof, Pete Briquette) – 5:20

Personnel edit

The Boomtown Rats

with:

  • Darren Beale - lead guitar, Moog, backing vocals
  • Paul Cuddeford - guitar on "Passing Through"
  • Alan Dunn - keyboards, backing vocals
  • Luciano Cusack, Serafina Cusack - backing vocals
Technical
  • Pete Briquette, Rob Barrie - recording
  • Clemens Gritl - artwork
  • Sagan Cowne - sleeve, design

Charts edit

Sales chart performance for Citizens of Boomtown
Chart (2020) Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 73
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 41
Irish Albums (OCC)[12] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 48

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Citizens of Boomtown – The Boomtown Rats". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  2. ^ Young, Alex (11 December 2019). "The Boomtown Rats announce first new album in 36 years". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ Monger, Timothy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. ^ Hann, Michael (13 March 2020). "The Boomtown Rats: Citizens of Boomtown review – nostalgia and toe-curling currentness". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  6. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (13 March 2020). "The Boomtown Rats: Citizens of Boomtown review – not half good, not half bad". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  7. ^ Whyte, Joe (18 March 2020). "Louder Than War Review". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. ^ Green, Thomas H. (7 March 2020). "Album: The Boomtown Rats – Citizens of Boomtown review – stomping trash-glam comeback". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  9. ^ "The Boomtown Rats Releasing 'Citizens of Boomtown,' First New Album in 36 Years, in 2020". RockCellarMagazine. 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Boomtown Rats – Citizens of Boomtown" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Boomtown Rats – Citizens of Boomtown" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2020.