Chicago’s Ratboys don’t live in sewers, nor do they carry infectious diseases. As a matter of fact, not every Ratboy is even a boy. Even so, as the band’s moniker suggests, they can tap into their inner child at any given moment, whether it be on their records or at their shows—or even in interviews. What could be referred to as “the fifth Ratboy” is an alien that wears a sleep mask and can be inflated onstage to add even more silliness to the band’s performances. Oh, and Ratboys have had possession of their little friend for well over a decade at this point. “We obtained it at one of our record release parties, inflated it, and couldn’t let it go,” says Julia Steiner, the easy-listening indie-rock group’s lyricist, vocalist, and lead guitarist.
Ratboys’ loyalty to the toy demonstrates the devotion and trust that the musicians have shared among themselves since Steiner and Dave Sagan—who contributes electric guitars and pocket piano—formed the project in 2011. After Steiner and Sagan released their debut album in 2015, they added bassist Sean Neumann and percussionist Marcus Nuccio to the lineup, with both contributing additional flourishes such as synths. The panoply of instruments that Ratboys incorporate into their songs ensures that their music is unlike any other. Their new record Singin’ to an Empty Chair often feels deceptively gentle—that is, until the band reaches for tambourines, shakers, and, yes, that pocket piano. The sort of zany and colorful album is a sorely needed counterweight to the dark times in which we find ourselves.
Thanks in part to inking a deal with New West Records, Ratboys’ latest full-length has quickly become the most anticipated release of their career. When asked what caused Ratboys’ spike in popularity—changing their style? Cracking the algorithm?—Steiner responds: “I don’t think we fully cracked the algorithm yet, but we put out an album in 2023 [The Window] that was our first [major endeavor coming] back from the pandemic. We were really proud of it.” The pandemic unexpectedly turned out to be a blessing in disguise in terms of Ratboys’ growth as a band. “It was good timing, and we got to collaborate with Chris Walla, who's a household name in some indie circles like the one we’re in,” Steiner divulges. “It was a good combo: right place, right time.”
This evolution in Ratboys’ career was predictable in the best of ways. The former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Walla had previously produced, engineered, and mixed three records for another indie-rock powerhouse, The Decemberists. That band then tapped Ratboys to tour with them in 2024, which was a defining moment in the band’s career—the phrase “it’s not what you know, but who you know” has never rung more true. Ratboys learned a lot during that pivotal tour, even if they were well into their career at that point. “It was amazing to see them really control the room and the crowd every night,” Sagan reflects. “I think Colin Meloy is an expert performer and showman. It was amazing to see him and the rest of the band come alive onstage. Personally, I kind of took a lot from that. Every night, he gives it his all, and the crowd is in the palm of his hand. It was cool to witness that. Our voice started to be heard by more and more people.”
“I feel such a release every time we get to rehearse... It’s the time where I can play music and deal with my feelings and thoughts. It’s like a balm, a restoration.” — Julia Steiner
As a result of that increased exposure, Ratboys’ financial situation improved. It’s an axiom—if not a truism—that money corrupts. But the clearest insight into who the musicians comprising the band really are may be that Ratboys didn’t give a second thought to paying it forward. “We have a microphone, we have a pedestal, and we have a voice,” Neumann says. “So, what are we to do with a voice if we’re not raising each other and others up? I think we value that. With our new record coming out, we’ll play more shows for charity. And yeah, it’s definitely important to us that we retain that aspect of the band, for sure. It’s these groups that are doing the hard work.” Steiner chimes in: “America can use a dose of collectivism. We’ve moved so far in the individualist mindset, with DOGE, cutting [funding for] nonprofits, destroying USAID, slashing education budgets…”
As one might imagine, when the members of Ratboys feel justifiably overwhelmed, angry, and saddened by ICE raids—don’t forget, one of the first significant ones was in their hometown—they find refuge with their instruments and solace in the music they create both individually and collectively as a band. Also: “I mean, the Bears are doing really good right now,” Steiner says semi-flippantly. “So the city of Chicago kind of needs that. But yeah, music is a massive outlet. I definitely feel such a release every time we get to rehearse, which is usually about once a week. It’s always a bright spot of my week, and it's the time where I can play music and deal with my feelings and thoughts. It’s like a balm, a restoration.”
Taking something of a bird’s-eye view of Singin’ to an Empty Chair, the elements of the record that are distinct from past Ratboys releases come into focus for Steiner. Listeners will notice that her vocals are much higher in the mix this time around, which is a change she’s wanted to make for a long time. “When I was younger and we were just starting out, I was on this quest for perfection in the vocal take—specifically, getting a really perfect double-tracked vocal was something that I was chasing,” Steiner recalls. “I listened back to some of those early recordings and I’m like, ‘Man, in the process of chasing that perfect pitch, I think I might have…not lost something, but maybe not given as much toward the end goal of [creating] an exciting performance or projecting my voice, or reaching someone through the speakers rather than just sitting back.’”
“We have a microphone, we have a pedestal, and we have a voice. So, what are we to do with a voice if we’re not raising each other and others up? I think we value that.” — Sean Neumann
Ratboys unexpectedly reached an unwitting new audience, in a sense, five years ago. They decided to release what was a new song at the time, “Go Outside,” to pique the interest of fans wondering what the then-unreleased fourth Ratboys album would sound like. In what some DIY lifers might deem a terrifying twist, Walmart poached “Go Outside” for one of the corporate behemoth’s advertising campaigns. There’s no word yet on whether the megastore chain will try to snag a song from Singin’ to an Empty Chair to achieve the same ends, but when asked whether they’d collaborate with Walmart all over again, Steiner replies: “I have no regrets. [The money] paid for our van. [It’s like], ‘Yo, fuck Walmart, dude. Fuck these billionaires and shit. I don’t give a fuck.’”
Sagan backs up Steiner’s sentiments. “We wanted to use our song in an ad. And the ad was cute. It had SpongeBob in it. And if we hadn’t been able to buy the van, we might not have been able to keep playing and being a band. So thanks, Walmart! But I’ll still never step foot in your establishment again.” FL
