Biography
Ratboys hail from Chicago, where their unhurried, introspective indie rock gains grit through distortion alongside subtle rustic alt-country accents. Following their initial 2015 release of the homemade Ratboy EP, the group broadened their sonic range with the addition of pedal steel, strings, and further textures by the time they completed their second album, GN, in 2017. Their fourth long-player, The Window, arrived in 2023 under the guidance of producer Chris Walla and reflected continued growth in their indie toolkit through the inclusion of instruments such as rototoms and talk boxes.
Founding members Julia Steiner and David Sagan connected during their freshman year at the University of Notre Dame and started laying down tracks together before that academic year ended. As sophomores they shifted to live performances, beginning as an acoustic duo at private events. Swerp Records issued their debut EP, Ratboy, in 2012. After graduation—Steiner in 2014 and Sagan the next year—they had transitioned to electric instrumentation, brought bassist William Lange and drummer Jordan Parel into the fold, and secured a deal with Topshelf Records. The label put out Ratboys’ first full-length, AOID, in June 2015. Over the ensuing year-plus they toured the U.S. and Europe in support, adding trumpet player Cody Owens and replacing Parel with drummer Pat Kennedy during the run.
While preserving their relaxed fusion of jangle and distortion, the band invited contributions from friends on instruments including pedal steel, accordion, and strings for their 2017 follow-up, GN (an abbreviation for “goodnight”), which featured Sean Neumann on bass and Danny Lyons on drums. The heartache-centered EP GL (“good luck”) appeared a year later. Their third album, Printer’s Devil, reached stores via Topshelf in February 2020. Recorded live at Chicago’s Decade Music Studios with co-producer Erik Rasmussen, it showcased the core duo joined by Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio (Dowsing, Pet Symmetry). An album of early material re-recorded as Happy Birthday, Ratboy, surfaced in April 2021 amid a stretch of COVID-19-driven online performances.
To capture their fourth album the group left Chicago for the first time, traveling to work with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) in Seattle. The resulting Window, issued on Topshelf in August 2023, extended their stylistic reach into plaintive folk, warm country-rock, and fuzzy guitar pop while weaving in sounds such as rototoms and additional effects.
Founding members Julia Steiner and David Sagan connected during their freshman year at the University of Notre Dame and started laying down tracks together before that academic year ended. As sophomores they shifted to live performances, beginning as an acoustic duo at private events. Swerp Records issued their debut EP, Ratboy, in 2012. After graduation—Steiner in 2014 and Sagan the next year—they had transitioned to electric instrumentation, brought bassist William Lange and drummer Jordan Parel into the fold, and secured a deal with Topshelf Records. The label put out Ratboys’ first full-length, AOID, in June 2015. Over the ensuing year-plus they toured the U.S. and Europe in support, adding trumpet player Cody Owens and replacing Parel with drummer Pat Kennedy during the run.
While preserving their relaxed fusion of jangle and distortion, the band invited contributions from friends on instruments including pedal steel, accordion, and strings for their 2017 follow-up, GN (an abbreviation for “goodnight”), which featured Sean Neumann on bass and Danny Lyons on drums. The heartache-centered EP GL (“good luck”) appeared a year later. Their third album, Printer’s Devil, reached stores via Topshelf in February 2020. Recorded live at Chicago’s Decade Music Studios with co-producer Erik Rasmussen, it showcased the core duo joined by Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio (Dowsing, Pet Symmetry). An album of early material re-recorded as Happy Birthday, Ratboy, surfaced in April 2021 amid a stretch of COVID-19-driven online performances.
To capture their fourth album the group left Chicago for the first time, traveling to work with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) in Seattle. The resulting Window, issued on Topshelf in August 2023, extended their stylistic reach into plaintive folk, warm country-rock, and fuzzy guitar pop while weaving in sounds such as rototoms and additional effects.
Singles
Live
