SUNLIT UPLANDS by The Boomers

Times of great suffering, anger and political unrest can generate great art. A much easier way to generate art however is to have sufficient funding and ample privilege to create without any financial constraints or social anxiety. Thankfully many of this country live in the latter situation and without this vital middle-class environment it would be impossible for a group like The Boomers to exist.

Just one week after Brexit has been completely finished forever and we are already beginning to see the artistic benefit. In this climate a three piece all-white hip hop act made up of mums in their 60s from Whitstable might not sound remotely acceptable and in many ways it isn’t, but this dichotomy is very much at the heart of their sophomore album.

The record is rooted in The Boomers’ own personal struggle, none more so than on the single ‘Cold Feet’ – a moving, elegy to that feeling when the underfloor heating in the conservatory takes a while to get going.

Their bombastic debut record in 2016 Death to Snowflake Pricks was deliberately divisive but certain moments here show a desire to build bridges.

‘End of the Pier’ takes aim at wider issues across the country, specifically when property prices stagnate leaving the value of your holiday home in mild jeopardy. 

I probably wouldn’t even have heard of this album if it wasn’t for their relentless and well-funded marketing campaign, paid for purely through the economic savviness of each member being born in 1957.

Recently I caught them at a live gig and was left blown away by the fact that they had embraced their complete lack of technical knowledge as their backing track was clearly running off battered desktop computer speakers and what must have been, at best, Windows XP. 

There’s clearly a bright future for The Boomers and not just because they have all been on the property ladder since the mid 70s. This album is an acquired taste and the more you’re able to relate to it the better your life must be.

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