Singin’ to an Empty Chair

Ratboys didn't explode onto the scene, nor did they propel to stardom on the back of their debut. That's a good thing, mind you: having never been through the ringer of hype machines and overnight success, the Chicago band have instead allowed their twinkling, countrified take on jangly indie rock to steadily brew for a decade-plus without any major spectacle. Ratboys' fifth LP Singin' to an Empty Chair arrives with little fanfare — just the way they like it. If there's an album of theirs to get excited about, however, it's this one.Back in the saddle with producer Chris Walla, who oversaw the band's excellent 2023 effort The Window, Ratboys are working towards two key goals simultaneously. The first is re-establishing the bright, bristling sound they've come to be known for — something achieved with the sun-kissed "Open Up," and tender single "The World, So Madly," which accentuates the stellar interplay between Julia Steiner's distinctive scrawny vocals and co-founder Dave Sagan's tasteful lead guitar work.The second, clearly encouraged by Walla, is to further explore the greater reaches of their sonic spectrum. This arrives via a suite of uncharacteristically-long songs in the album's latter half, which offers a thoroughly rewarding musical journey. "Just Want You to Know the Truth" is a sprawling eight-and-a-half minutes, topped off with Sagan's best-ever guitar solo, while the dynamic passages of "What's Right" and the staunch Neil Young jam of "Burn It Down" make for more career-best moments. The fact they can write these sprawling indie epics as well as perfect three-minute pop songs like "Anywhere" is, frankly, just showing off.Singin' is comfortably the most accomplished and self-assured Ratboys album to date. Understated, yet awe-inspiring in its greatest moments, it adds to the band's near-spotless œuvre with the kind of confidence that can only come this many years in. They've become the band they've always wanted to be.