Ratboys

About Ratboys

Ratboys started in 2010 when Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan met at Notre Dame. They were studying architecture and engineering respectively, which feels appropriate for a band that would go on to build songs with careful attention to structure and space. They started making music together in Louisville, Kentucky, where the indie rock scene gave them room to figure out what they were doing.

The band's early work had this lo-fi, scrappy quality that a lot of basement bands have, but Steiner's voice cut through all that fuzz with something genuinely compelling. She sings with this clear, almost plaintive tone that can make even straightforward lyrics feel heavier than they are on paper. By the time they moved to Chicago in 2015, they'd started attracting attention beyond their immediate circle.

Their 2017 album "GN" on Topshelf Records marked a turning point. The production got cleaner without losing the essential looseness that made their songs work. Tracks like "Elvis in the Freezer" showcased their ability to write hooks that stick without being obvious about it. The album balanced indie rock energy with country-tinged moments, though calling them alt-country would miss the point. They just write the songs however they come out.

"Printer's Devil" arrived in 2020 on Topshelf, right as everything was shutting down. The album refined their sound further, with Steiner's songwriting getting more confident and specific. Songs like "Alien with a Sleep Mask On" and the title track demonstrated a band that had figured out exactly how much space to leave in a song. The rhythm section, rounded out by bassist Sean Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio, locked into something reliably solid without being flashy.

They signed to Topshelf's parent label for 2023's "The Window," which gave them access to better resources without fundamentally changing what they do. The album feels like a natural progression, still rooted in that indie rock framework but willing to stretch out when a song calls for it. "Making Noise for the Ones You Love" got added to a bunch of playlists, which helped them reach people who hadn't been paying attention before.

Throughout all this, they've toured relentlessly, building their audience the old-fashioned way. They're the kind of band that sounds better live than you'd expect, probably because they've played together so much that they can read each other's moves instinctively.

Now they're in that middle zone that a lot of solid indie bands occupy: respected by people who care about this stuff, touring regularly, making records that get good reviews without breaking through to whatever constitutes mainstream these days. They seem fine with that, which makes sense. Their music has always been more about craft than ambition anyway.

Their shows feel like intimate conversations happening in front of a crowd. Steiner commands attention without trying, and the band locks in tight. You get a mix of people who arrived early and people who wandered in, all paying actual attention. The energy is focused rather than raucous.

Known for Photo ID, Sports, Curse, Here Come the Tubular Bells, Mosquito Repellent

See Ratboys Live