Ratboys

Despite its title, Ratboys’ Singin’ to an Empty Chair is not defined by what’s missing. Rather, it’s the beginning of an important dialogue with a close loved one, vocalist/lyricist Julia Steiner finds herself estranged from. The band’s sixth studio album – its first for New West Records – fills the space that person left behind, showcasing Ratboys at the peak of their powers — twangy, effervescent, as confident as they’ve ever been, and more emotionally interrogative than ever before. The four-piece Chicago band followed up 2023’s highly acclaimed The Window by reconvening with co-producer Chris Walla, tracking at a rural WI cabin before taking the songs to Steve Albini’s famed Electrical Audio studios in Chicago and Rosebud Studio in Evanston, IL. The results veer from bubbly power-pop to irresistible post-country, along with heart-piercing ballads like “Just Want You to Know the Truth” and a detour into the extraterrestrial on “Light Night Mountains All That.” Singin’ to an Empty Chair also marks the first Ratboys album written since Steiner began therapy, which she credits for the clarity found across the album’s unflinching examinations of relationship and self. As the album begins by extending a hand into the void, it concludes with a scene of serenity – all while weaving candid honesty, humor, chaos, and whimsy along the way. “It's not all doom and gloom,” Steiner says. “The experience of making this record definitely gives me hope for whatever happens next.”