Citizens of Boomtown

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 The Boomtown Rats
Released	13 March 2020
Studio	Brick Music, Acton, London; Barnstorm Studios
Length	41:13
Label	BMG
Producer	Pete Briquette
The Boomtown Rats chronology
In the Long Grass (1984) Citizens of Boomtown (2020)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	58/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The Guardian	[5]
The Irish Times	[6]
Louder Than War	8/10[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

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

The Boomtown Rats

• Bob Geldof - vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Garry Roberts - guitar
• Pete Briquette - bass guitar, keyboards, drum programming
• Simon Crowe - drums, vocals

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

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

• List of 2020 albums

References

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. "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.