Best of New Indie: “Singing To An Empty Chair” - Ratboys

Hailing from Chicago, Julia Steiner, Dave Sagan, Marcus Nuccio, and Sean Neumann make up

the band Ratboys, an exciting alternative country group that has made a great 2026 addition to

their catalog titled “Singing to an Empty Chair”.

This album, while coming from a band that is described as having country influences, wouldn’t

feel out of place mixed in with recent albums from ‘Crumb’, ‘Beach Fossils’, or ‘Momma’,

because while there are certainly some tracks that have some more indie twang (think ‘MJ

Lenderman’, ‘Waxahatchee’, ‘Big Thief’), many turn down the influence in exchange for a more

modern alternative rock approach.

Listen while you read!

One of these twang tracks is “Penny In The Lake”, a certain standout even when it received no

single treatment. You can picture this tune coming on in any dive bar scene where the protagonist

band is sharing their big hit for the first time and met with thunderous applause. While this exact

energy isn’t met by many others on the album, this isn’t a bad thing. This is a concise record at

only 11 tracks, and none overstaying their welcome, yet it displays an incredible amount of

variety. You could break the tracks out into a few distinct EPs each with a unique side of Ratboys

sweeping style. While none may meet the exact energy of ‘Penny In The Lake’ many are equal

in one or two aspects; ‘I Just Want You To Know The Truth’ (The song where the album title

comes from) is arguably to most folk-rock song on the album, and ‘Anywhere’ brings the upbeat

energy. This mixed bag approach is a great feat, especially considering how flow the progression

of the album is, you never realize how different the songs are on a listen-through.

This project is made to be listened to all the way through. Without a skippable song, this is a very

feasible task, and one that is made very enjoyable due to the consistent quality of not only the

writing and instrumentation, but also the production quality. You can tell the success of Ratboys

has paid off and they’re able to justify spending a little extra to acquire better fidelity; Chris

Walla (who is also featured on the album itself in some of the piano and synth work), Chris

Shaw, and Taylor Hales did an incredible job recording and mixing in the studio. And as I am

reviewing this from an early-release vinyl copy I must shout out Mastering Engineer Heba

Kadry, as the master sounds crystal clear and full of depth. I appreciate the extra experimentation

through orchestral sways, synth flutters, sound design, and special effects brought out

undoubtedly by Chris Shaw as well as the band themselves who are also credited as producers.

I had the pleasure to attend a sort of ‘release party’ here in Nashville where the band indulged us

guests in some karaoke performances while we received signed copies of the album. While I’m not bribed easily, I can say that it did leave a good taste in my mouth before I even got home to

listen to the album.

Thus far I’ve only hinted at Julia’s writing and lyricism, and for that, I apologize. In many

alternative genres, the lyrics can take a hit at the expense of catchy riffs and instrumental-ized

vocals. However, in indie folk this is not the case. Being a blend of both genres, it could have

gone either way with this album, however it is clear that everyone who worked on this album

saw the quality of the lyrics and refused to bury them under layers of effects and instruments.

There’s the amount of depth you would expect in a project with as moody a cover as this has, the

tracks unfold into a relatively complete picture, a good snapshot of what you need to know and

feel for the characters involved. Heartbreak, heartbreak and heartbreak, but all different stages of

grief depending on what part of the album you’re listening to. This is not to say that it’s a

bummer to experience, while melancholy in moments, it is a fun project that will have you

tapping along with all you’ve got but also listening closely as to not miss the joy and beauty of

this well-captured story.

Visit their Bandcamp to purchase the new album!

https://ratboys.bandcamp.com/album/singin-to-an-empty-chair