Ratboys Grow Up - SPIN

"One of the delights of the prior Ratboys album, 2023's The Window, is that I could recommend it to almost any indie rock fan. You like beautiful Americana? Ratboys. Fuzzy alternative rock? Ratboys. Pop-punk? Ratboys. Occasional noisy jams? Ratboys. It was such a fun grab-bag that I figured it couldn't last. I assumed The Window would be one of those free-for-all transition albums that leads to a more focused future sound. Especially after the band signed to the alt-country leaning New West Records in 2025."

"I was wrong, sorta. The band's latest, Singin' to an Empty Chair, does blaze a new direction, but one that's inclusive, not exclusive. Instead of picking a genre lane, the Chicago musicians have distilled all of these contrasting, even contradicting elements into a singular striking, soaring voice for their sixth and best album. The album's title conjures feelings of trying to connect with someone who isn't there, which turns out to be a perfect encapsulation."

"Across the album, the Ratboys are walking that fine line between yearning and frustration, announcing it like a mission statement on lead-off track "Open Up." Over a brightly shuffling rhythm, lead vocalist Julia Steiner attempts to disarm a difficult loved one with her plea of "What's it gonna take to open up this time?"...but repeats it over and over until a charging irritation seeps into the words and guitar."

"Soft, melodic sweetness mixed with hard, crashing passion has always been Ratboys' strength, and here they've fine-tuned that duality for maximum catharsis on catchy rockers like "Know You Then" and "Anywhere." But they also go further, continuing what they began on The Window's "Black Earth, WI" by experimenting with raw, extended solos that border on jammy and discordant to great impact. "Light Night Mountains All That" captures the endlessly spiraling anger of being emotionally dismissed by a partner, while"

Singin' to an Empty Chair distills diverse influences—Americana, fuzzy alternative rock, pop-punk, and occasional noisy jams—into a unified, soaring musical identity. The title evokes attempts to connect with an absent partner, and themes alternate between yearning and frustration. Lead vocalist Julia Steiner's pleading on "Open Up" shifts from disarming sweetness to charged irritation as repetition intensifies the delivery. The band sharpens its soft-melodic and hard-crashing duality across catchy tracks like "Know You Then" and "Anywhere." Extended, raw solos continue from The Window's experimentation, with "Light Night Mountains All That" expressing spiraling anger at emotional dismissal.

Read at SPIN