{"product_id":"ratboys-singin-to-an-empty-chair","title":"Ratboys - Singin To An Empty Chair","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDespite its title, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRatboys\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’ new album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingin’ to an Empty Chair\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is not defined by what’s missing. Rather, it’s the beginning of an important dialogue with a close loved one, vocalist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJulia Steiner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e finds herself estranged from. The music on the band’s sixth studio album – its first for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew West Records\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – fills the space that person left behind with 11 songs showcasing Ratboys at the peak of their powers — twangy, effervescent, as confident as they’ve ever been, and perhaps more emotionally interrogative than ever before. The four-piece Chicago band followed up 2023’s highly acclaimed \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Window\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e by reconvening with co-producer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris Walla\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e to begin tracking at a rural Wisconsin cabin before taking the songs to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSteve Albini\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’s famed \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElectrical Audio\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e studios in Chicago and later to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRosebud Studio\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in Evanston, Illinois.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe results veer from bubbly power-pop on “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnywhere\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” to irresistible post-country on “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ePenny in the Lake\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” along with heart-piercing ballads like “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eJust Want You to Know the Truth\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” and an exhilarating detour into the extraterrestrial on “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eLight Night Mountains All That\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” which Steiner dubs the band’s mammoth “wormhole jam.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingin’ to an Empty Chair\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e also marks the first Ratboys album written since Steiner began therapy, which the singer\/lyricist credits for the clarity found across the album’s unflinching examinations of relationship and self. Fittingly, as the album begins by extending a hand into the void, it concludes with a scene of serenity – all while weaving candid honesty, humor, chaos, and whimsy along the way. “It's not all doom and gloom,” Steiner says. “The experience of making this record definitely gives me hope for whatever happens next.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NEW WEST RECORDS","offers":[{"title":"Etched Vinyl","offer_id":53303151100231,"sku":"TRI-70122","price":36.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":53303151132999,"sku":"TRI-70123","price":15.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Indies CD","offer_id":53303151165767,"sku":"TRI-70121","price":16.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0931\/9779\/5655\/files\/443f86257bbe5c261229fa150376afae.jpg?v=1770645536","url":"https:\/\/towerrecords.ie\/products\/ratboys-singin-to-an-empty-chair","provider":"Tower Records Dublin Ireland","version":"1.0","type":"link"}