By Shea Roney

Chicago’s own, Ratboys, have been putting out exciting music for over a decade. With sounds ranging from garage-rock, country-folk, and even some pop tendencies, Ratboys have been skillfully consistent in making loud music both fun and intimate. On their latest album, The Window, Ratboys take themes of heartache and aging and push it through staticky amps and catchy melodies to create a place of purposeful feelings. 

In 2010, singer Julia Steiner and guitarist Dave Sagan met during their time studying at Notre Dame. It wasn’t until they moved to Chicago in 2015 where they added full time members Sean Neumann on bass and Marcus Nuccio on drums and have stayed together ever since. With four albums already under their belt, the group is pushing out of their comfort zone for something new and impressive on The Window.

Released off of Topshelf Records, The Window is the first time that the band is leaving their city of Chicago to record. Traveling to Seattle to work with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie),The Window finds Ratboys within a fully collaborative piece of work. With all four members contributing for the first time as well as some insight from Walla, The Window is all-embracing and expansive.

With the click of drum sticks and exploding into a driving beat of guitar feedback and the steady crack of the snare, the album kicks off with “Make Noise for the Ones You Love.” Ecstatic from the get-go, the band has expanded on their heaviness that came through on past albums like GN and Printer’s Devil. On a song dedicated to the feeling of release, there is no better universal experience than blasting a loud song on the car stereo. “I turn up/My favorite song/Wishing I could call you up/But, I’m not going to think about that now,” Steiner belts in her skillfully tempered scream. 

The Window, for how intimate the subject matter appears, is an album that is loud. Its rambunctious manner is fitting for a garage show but its temper is inviting. The lead single, “It’s Alive!” showcases Steiner’s knack for catchy pop hooks that seem timeless. “Crossed That Line” is almost reminiscent of a classic Ramones song, with heavy bar chords and the dexterous hands of Nuccio, it is littered with an attitude of nonchalant posture.  

Steiner, as a lyricist, has always been able to compile anecdotes with feelings to create something entirely unique and personable. The Window is no different and finds Steiner in a period of reflection and vulnerability. The title track, “The Window,” was written after the passing of Steiner’s grandmother in 2020. Lines like “Sue, you’ll always be my girl,” among many others, are even more emotionally impactful knowing that Steiner uses direct recollections from her grandfather who had to say goodbye on the other side of a closed window. Steiner’s soft voice hopping octaves in the pre-chorus is more for comfort than for grieving. “Bad Reaction,” the closing track, is the most sonically simple song on the album. When Steiner asks the transparent question of “What’s the one thing you love now?”, it stops you in your tracks to consider your options. 

When the band isn’t ripping guitars, they are jamming to alternative folk tunes with buttery and lighthearted melodies. “Morning Zoo,” blanketed in “post-country” definitives, is a melodious tune about finding peace with yourself that is simmered with fiddles and slide guitar. “I Want You (Fall 2010)” is a playful track about early love. As Steiner sings “Cause burning all my blank CD’s never meant so much to me,” a lost art form of flirting, kickstarts sweet nostalgia in our aging hearts. 

The band, as a unit, has found a comfortable place of interlocked friendships, both personal and professional. The strength in their relationships are seen through their ability to perform tight together and adjust when needed. The eight minute long track, “Black Earth, WI,” released as an early single, sees the band at their height of potential. The track is a stroll, transitioning from a stagnant rock song into a jam session where Sagan gets to show off his guitar-hero chops. It seamlessly blends into a headbanging singalong. Even more impressive, the eight minute track was recorded live to tape in the studio, and in only two takes, it found a home on the album.
If you have ever had the pleasure of attending a Ratboys’ live show, you will understand the intimate level at which they perform. Filled with both energy and affection, Steiner and company turn any venue into a safe space for release. The Window finds the band implementing that same environment. Dedicated to reflecting on heartache, Ratboys open up the floor for personal growth on an album worth blasting.

Don’t miss Ratboys performing live at Turf Club in Saint Paul on October 6, 2023.