Ratboys – What’s Right?
Ratboys present a new single, “What’s Right?,” from their forthcoming album Singin’ to an Empty Chair, out February 6th via New West Records.
This is immediate in the range of singles released thus far – “Anywhere,”, “Light Night Mountains All That,” and now, “What’s Right?,” an uncanny ballad that glows with Julia Steiner’s vivid lyricism. The accompanying lyric video, made by the band’s own Marcus Nuccio, matches the song’s meandering, unearthly instrumentation.
“We approached this song like an experiment in the studio, stitching together three different drum performances, in three different-sounding environments, to guide us through some dramatic scene changes within the song,” says Steiner. “We referenced the tight, yet expansive sonics of The War On Drugs and the desert landscapes of Thelma and Louise. The back half of the song came to me in a dream and remains one of the few times that I’ve had the presence of mind to record an idea immediately upon waking. Most of the lyrics and melody came out in that moment, and for that I’m still mystified and extremely grateful.”
Steiner’s lyrics have always probed her mind’s inner workings, and complex family dynamics were present in early Ratboys songs. But Singin’ to an Empty Chair marks the first Ratboys album written since she began therapy, and she credits the clarity she’s found for the album’s unflinching examinations of self. “The title is in reference to a therapy exercise that I did, called The Empty Chair Technique. It’s basically an attempt to have a difficult conversation, or an impossible conversation, with someone who’s not physically present, by speaking out loud to an empty chair and imagining that the person is really there,” she says.
As such, 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 Julia Steiner finds herself estranged from.”A big, overarching theme of this record is my attempt to document my experience being estranged from a close loved one,” Steiner says. “The goal is to update this person on what’s been going on in my life and to try to bridge that impasse and reach out a hand into the void.”
While the album extends a hand into the abyss, Steiner finds comfort in the loved ones still at her side. There’s a genuine, devoted chemistry between Steiner, guitarist Dave Sagan, drummer Marcus Nuccio, and bassist Sean Neumann, who had a breakthrough moment with 2023’s The Window, one of the highest-praised records of the year. For Singin’ to an Empty Chair, the four decamped to a 75-acre plot of land in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area to write and demo the new songs, and later tracked them with co-producer Chris Walla, the band’s trusted collaborator who produced The Window. Ratboys and Walla took the songs to Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, and later to Rosebud Studio in Evanston, Illinois, to finish recording. The resulting record is twangy, effervescent, and as confident as they’ve ever been. This is Ratboys at the peak of their powers.
Kicking off in February, Ratboys will tour in support of Singin’ to an Empty Chair.
Ratboys Tour Dates
Wed. Feb. 25 – Detroit, MI @ El Club ~
Thu. Feb. 26 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace ~
Fri. Feb. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB ~
Sat. Feb. 28 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ~
Tue. March 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ~
Thu. March 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~
Fri. March 6 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ~
Sat. March 7 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry ~
Sun. March 8 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall ~
Tue. March 10 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle ~
Wed. March 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West ~
Thu. March 12 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ~
Fri. March 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar ~
Sat. March 14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium ~
Tue. March 24 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway •
Wed. March 25 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar •
Thu. March 26 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge •
Fri. March 27 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada •
Sat. March 28 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk •
Mon. March 30 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad •
Tue. March 31 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar •
Wed. April 1 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar •
Fri. April 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom •
Sat. April 4 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall •
Mon. April 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret •
Tue. April 7 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos •
Wed. April 8 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater •
Fri. April 10 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club •
Sat. April 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge •
Mon. April 13 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater •
Wed. April 15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room •
Thu. April 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line •
Fri. April 17 – Madison, WI @ Atwood Music Hall •
Sat. April 18 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre +
~ w/ Florry • w/ villagerrr + w/ Free Range
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