Following the release of recent single "Black Earth, WI," Ratboys — the buzzy Chicago purveyors of indie-twang — have announced a new album, as well as a run of North American tour dates to follow.
The Window arrives August 25 on Topshelf. It follows the band's 2021 surprise album Happy Birthday, Ratboy, and 2020's Printer's Devil.
Produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara), the record marked a number of firsts for Ratboys. With bassist Sean Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio having become full-time members of the band alongside the core duo of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan, The Window is the first full album that has come together as a collaboration between all of them. They also left their home base to record for the first time, venturing to Seattle to work with Walla.
"We spent 2020 demoing the songs, and spent 2021 practicing them," Steiner explained in a statement. "We practiced twice a week for six months, exploring the songs and developing them. We'd send early versions to Chris and he'd give us notes. It went like that for weeks. It was such a dedicated and intentional process."
Nuccio continued, "The language Chris uses when speaking about music comes from a very emotionally centred place, and that's something that resonated with us. He would say things like, 'This cymbal hurts my feelings,' or 'This song is like a cat.'"
"It was such a disarming thing," Neumann added. "We didn't get bogged down in technical terms, and he never placed pressure on us in that way. With Chris steering the ship, we were free to go off on little creative expeditions and come up with parts and ideas we'd never imagined."
Those parts come together as living organisms on the vibrant newly released lead single, "It's Alive!" It's also a fuzzy headrush of bright sunshine hitting the windowpane, about "the overarching feeling of the world spinning on beneath you while you're stuck in one place," according to Steiner.
The band will take their new tunes on the road later this year, beginning with a hometown show on August 25. In addition to a performance at POP Montreal, the quartet will headline Toronto's Monarch Tavern on September 30. Tickets go on sale Friday (June 9) at 10 a.m. local.
Watch the video for "It's Alive!" below. Keep scrolling to see the full album tracklist, as well as Ratboys' tour itinerary.
The Window:
1. Making Noise for the Ones You Love
2. Morning Zoo
3. Crossed That Line
4. It's Alive!
5. No Way
6. The Window
7. Empty
8. Break
9. Black Earth, WI
10. I Want You (Fall 2010)
11. Bad Reaction
Pre-order The Window.
Ratboys 2023 Tour Dates:
08/25 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
09/21 Champaign-Urbana, IL - Pygmalion Festival
09/22 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
09/23 Washington, D.C. - Songbyrd
09/26 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
09/27 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09/28 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
09/29 Montreal, QC - POP Montreal
09/30 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern
10/02 Pittsburgh, PA - Bottlerocket Social Hall
10/03 Cleveland, OH - No Class
10/04 Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag
10/06 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10/07 Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
10/19 Omaha, NE - Reverb
10/21 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
10/22 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10/24 Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's
10/25 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10/27 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
10/28 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Highland Park
10/29 San Diego, CA - The Loft at UC San Diego
10/30 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
10/31 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
11/02 San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
11/03 Austin, TX - Empire Control Room & Garage
11/04 Dallas, TX - Club Dada
The Window arrives August 25 on Topshelf. It follows the band's 2021 surprise album Happy Birthday, Ratboy, and 2020's Printer's Devil.
Produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara), the record marked a number of firsts for Ratboys. With bassist Sean Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio having become full-time members of the band alongside the core duo of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan, The Window is the first full album that has come together as a collaboration between all of them. They also left their home base to record for the first time, venturing to Seattle to work with Walla.
"We spent 2020 demoing the songs, and spent 2021 practicing them," Steiner explained in a statement. "We practiced twice a week for six months, exploring the songs and developing them. We'd send early versions to Chris and he'd give us notes. It went like that for weeks. It was such a dedicated and intentional process."
Nuccio continued, "The language Chris uses when speaking about music comes from a very emotionally centred place, and that's something that resonated with us. He would say things like, 'This cymbal hurts my feelings,' or 'This song is like a cat.'"
"It was such a disarming thing," Neumann added. "We didn't get bogged down in technical terms, and he never placed pressure on us in that way. With Chris steering the ship, we were free to go off on little creative expeditions and come up with parts and ideas we'd never imagined."
Those parts come together as living organisms on the vibrant newly released lead single, "It's Alive!" It's also a fuzzy headrush of bright sunshine hitting the windowpane, about "the overarching feeling of the world spinning on beneath you while you're stuck in one place," according to Steiner.
The band will take their new tunes on the road later this year, beginning with a hometown show on August 25. In addition to a performance at POP Montreal, the quartet will headline Toronto's Monarch Tavern on September 30. Tickets go on sale Friday (June 9) at 10 a.m. local.
Watch the video for "It's Alive!" below. Keep scrolling to see the full album tracklist, as well as Ratboys' tour itinerary.
The Window:
1. Making Noise for the Ones You Love
2. Morning Zoo
3. Crossed That Line
4. It's Alive!
5. No Way
6. The Window
7. Empty
8. Break
9. Black Earth, WI
10. I Want You (Fall 2010)
11. Bad Reaction
Pre-order The Window.
Ratboys 2023 Tour Dates:
08/25 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
09/21 Champaign-Urbana, IL - Pygmalion Festival
09/22 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
09/23 Washington, D.C. - Songbyrd
09/26 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
09/27 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09/28 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
09/29 Montreal, QC - POP Montreal
09/30 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern
10/02 Pittsburgh, PA - Bottlerocket Social Hall
10/03 Cleveland, OH - No Class
10/04 Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag
10/06 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10/07 Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
10/19 Omaha, NE - Reverb
10/21 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
10/22 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10/24 Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's
10/25 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10/27 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
10/28 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Highland Park
10/29 San Diego, CA - The Loft at UC San Diego
10/30 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
10/31 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
11/02 San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
11/03 Austin, TX - Empire Control Room & Garage
11/04 Dallas, TX - Club Dada