Ratboys are back with a new album called The Window. The group’s latest LP arrives August 25th via Topshelf Records, and along with the news, they’ve shared a new run of North American tour dates and the lead single “It’s Alive!”
The Window marks the first time Ratboys bassist Sean Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio collaborated with guitarists Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan. Teaming with Seattle producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara), the band spent two years working out the album’s 11 songs, with notes from Walla, before putting them to tape in 2022.
“The language Chris uses when speaking about music comes from a very emotionally centered 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,’” Nuccio recalled in a statement. According to Neumann, “It was such a disarming thing. 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.”
Ratboys will celebrate The Window with an August 25th release show in their native Chicago. After that, they’ll kick off their 2023 North American tour in earnest, hitting the likes of DC, Philly, Toronto, Seattle, and Los Angeles before wrapping up in Dallas on November 4th. See their full tour itinerary below, Find deals over at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed via StubHub’s FanProtect Program.
New offering “It’s Alive!” is a melancholy track. Steiner and Sagan’s chiming guitars, paired with Steiner’s sharp twang, make for a breezy, alt-country moment, but when the chorus kicks in, Sagan’s axe bends toward a growl, hinting at a darker undertone. Listen to the song below.
Pre-orders for The Window are ongoing. The project follows Ratboys’ 2021 album Happy Birthday, Ratboy.
The Window Artwork:
The Window Tracklist:
01. Making Noise for the Ones You Love
02. Morning Zoo
03. Crossed That Line
04. It’s Alive!
05. No Way
06. The Window
07. Empty
08. Break
90. Black Earth, WI
10. I Want You (Fall 2010)
11. Bad Reaction
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, DC @ 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
