City Boy
In a gritty day under the London sky, a city boy is walking down a road with a hood. He’s trying to make it clear in his mind. “The city boy” of the British band Boxing Club is their latest single release, underpinning themes of pressure. There’s something within big cities that hits different. We are used to seeing constant movement, artificial sounds, and flashing lights that we almost don’t even notice them anymore. But underneath all the comforts that a metropolis can provide, there’s something subtle in it. A kind of rush and pressure that is invisible, yet perceptible. There’s always somebody who is running; it feels like that, even 30 seconds can be vital. There’s no time to pause. And this, generally, generates stress. Imagine what it can do to a young boy. It can make you feel lost. As the Boxing Club sings in “City Boy”: “there was a boy that looked like you, he hasn’t been seen”. Because this sense of rush and the height of buildings can devour you. And looking back, you feel like you’ve disappeared or lost. With sharp basslines and rhythmic pulse, the Boxing Club perfectly captures this sense of anxiety. Listening to this piece feels like a sonic mirror of emotions. It portrays the reality that many young people face every day in their hometowns. And also, makes us reflect why, lately, there’s this going back to nature always and always more among the latest generations.