Miles Kalchik
Audio By Carbonatix
What do four Chicagoans know about country music? Quite a bit, actually. And they’re bringing all their knowledge to Club Dada on Friday night. Indie-rock quartet Ratboys is touring the world with the When the Sun Explodes Tour, following the release of their sixth studio album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair. No rats were harmed in the making of the album, nor are they involved in the nationwide tour.
As ‘y’allternative’ escapes American counter-culture and enters the forefront of social popularity, Ratboys have remained among the earliest contributors, fusing high-energy strums with deep distortion and heavy percussion since their debut album in 2015. Now, more than a decade later, and with a new label, it’s time for Ratboys to scamper their way onto your playlist.
“On the one hand, we feel comfortable with our role as a band in the world,” front woman Julia Steiner says to the Observer. “But sure, at the same time, yeah, I mean, we are very excited about the growth that we’ve gotten to experience with this new record out in the world… We’re always excited to try to just push things and see where we end up.”
Singin’ to an Empty Chair was released on New West Records — which also represents Americana pioneers Willie Nelson and Steve Earle, and North Texas’ own contributions to alternative country, the Old 97s — and was well received by critics when it dropped last month. Leaning heavily into Steiner’s lilt and childhood in the Bluegrass lands of Kentucky, the band brings electricity and amplifiers to the ditties endemic to the region.
Markedly grittier than Ratboys albums of years past, Singin’ to an Empty Chair is a lesson in the emerging Southern sound, but it’s not intentional, just the nature of evolution.
“For us, each song is kind of its own little world that we’re trying to craft,” Steiner says. “On this new record, some of these songs to me don’t really sound country at all, but people have heard that in them. And so it must be something that I’m not even aware of that’s happening.”
Steiner and her band, which Pitchfork dubbed the nicest band in indie rock, are known for their likability.
Maybe it’s the Midwestern in them. Maybe it’s the decade’s worth of reputable albums, each growing in excellence in depth. Whatever it is, Ratboys’ tenacious dedication to carving out a distinct sound and an affinity for touring small stages across the globe have garnered them a burgeoning cult following.
“Definitely on like, a national scale, we’re a band that is still just starting out, kind of as far as any sort of mainstream recognition,” Steiner says. “And to be honest, that’s not even really what we’re after… It’s mostly just about getting to play our songs for people and cultivating a community around our music. People who know it hopefully love it.”
As for the burning question on everyone’s mind, the name Ratboys comes from Steiner’s high school nickname. She then recruited her musical rat pack while a student at Notre Dame University, and the band settled in Chicago, ironically, the home of a viral pothole shaped like a rat. Rat hole.
As for the rat show, Steiner says we’re in for a good one.
“It’s gonna be a big night… because the Sloppy Boys are playing next door. We’re very excited for that. We’re gonna see them, do a little cross-collab maybe,” she says before her final word about touring in Texas and across the country right now. “It’s really important nowadays to try to resist the allure of apathy and just be there for our neighbors and keep each other safe. So that’s our goal at the show.”
Ratboys will be joined by Villagerrr at Club Dada on Friday, March 27. Tickets are $27.
