Ratboys - Singin’ to an Empty Chair
A standout entry in a great year for indie rock.
Chicago-based indie rock band Ratboys gained a good bit of positive attention from critics for their 2023 LP The Window. Three years later, their sixth album Singin’ To An Empty Chair, released on February 6th, has also been received well – and for good reason.
The main standout quality about this record is its emotional maturity and honesty. The title of the project is a reference to the empty chair technique, a psychotherapy method where patients sit in front of a chair, picture it being occupied by another person, aspect or past version of themselves or difficult emotion, and have a candid, out-loud conversation to help process things and move on – and the album itself very much feels like that a lot of the time. However, frontwoman Julia Steiner handles the concept and the subject matter lyrically with a certain lightness and even humor that saves the record from being too bleak – something that not only doesn’t damage the emotional impact, but only increases it. Her writing is sincere and open, and feels profound without coming off as pompous; tracks like “Just Want You to Know the Truth”, “Know You Then” or “Penny in the Lake” are among the major highlights in terms of the writing on the album. Vocally, Steiner also performs very well – though her singing mostly has a gentle, airy quality to it, she has some very well-placed moments where some more intense deliveries add some variety, making the album more engaging and increasing the resonance of her lyrics.
The rest of the band also more than pulls its weight – each track is an intricate musical tapestry. Many of the songs on the album are quite long, but they do more than enough in terms of composition and structuring to justify their runtimes – such as the seven-minute “Burn It Down”, or the aforementioned “Just Want You to Know the Truth”, which is over eight minutes long. The instrumental performances are consistently tight and technically excellent, and have some great versatility sonically between buzzing, rough edges and shimmering, smoother textures. The album experiments with a variety of styles within the general twangy, country-influenced indie rock soundscape. There’s a lot to enjoy here for fans of bands like Big Thief or Wednesday.
Overall, Singin’ To An Empty Chair is one of the stronger rock records of this year so far. The album takes you on an enthralling journey that’s very difficult not to empathize with; and when you reach the beautiful closer, “At Peace in the Hundred Acre Wood”, it brings about a sense of tranquility and welcome finality that shows that the empty chair technique has run its course. A standout in its content, both lyrical and musical, consistent from front to back, this album shows off the full, impressive capabilities of Ratboys as a band.
8.1/10
