7/10

For the last few years, Rat Boy has slowly been making his way into the mainstream consciousness with a flurry of bright and engaging single releases. And now with the blessing of artists like Damon Albarn, who sees a lot of himself in the Essex musician, Rat Boy aka Jordan Cardy has finally unveiled his debut album 'Scum'. An expansive and diverse release that aims to bring the world of Britpop roaring back into the 21st century.

The whopping 25-track record may seem like a lot to take in, especially for a debut release, but given how much Rat Boy has already put out in the last few years, this seems like an apt tracklist. Bringing back all the huge bangers like 'Revolution', 'Laid Back' and 'Fake ID' from earlier in the year gives the album the familiar lift it needs, but also act as the catalyst that merges the energy of all these tracks together, creating a truly succinct release that flows brilliantly.

Essentially you can hear nearly all the aspects of British indie music from the last 30 years within this one record. Rat Boy is quite simply the most UK loyal artist we have heard in years, and 'Scum' is the template that all new artist can use in order to understand what makes British music so us.