Everyone loves Ratboys, including their esteemed indie rock peers. The tuneful, big-hearted Chicago quartet continued their streak of amazing albums with this year's Singin' To An Empty Chair, an album that backs some of Julia Steiner's most vulnerable lyrics yet with dynamic arrangements that suggest a band in full command of its powers.
A new deluxe edition out today includes covers of Empty Chair tracks by PUP, Ducks Ltd., Wild Pink, Bad Bad Hats, Free Range, and, in a surprise add-on, Kevin Morby. There's also a Marked Men cover by the Ratboys themselves, originally recorded for SiriusXM, which Ratboys shared along with their Tiny Desk concert last week.
Today, along with the deluxe release, we present commentary from all six of the artists that recorded Ratboys covers for the project.
PUP recorded "Know You Then." Frontman Stefan Babcock sent in this statement:
Ratboys are one of our favourite bands. They’re wonderful people and the songwriting is incredible. They’re one of those rare bands that make playing music seem simple, easy, and fun. Pulling that off well is incredibly hard. Take it from someone who’s been trying to do it for 20+ years.
Ducks Ltd., who covered "Light Night Mountains All That," offered these words:
We love Ratboys! We toured with them a couple of years ago and I think it's the most fun we've ever had on the road. They're such an amazing band and so hard working and surely the nicest people in indie rock. It's really inspiring to see how they operate as a group of dedicated, thoughtful people who infuse everything they do with genuine care and kindness. Also Sean once slapped me in the face with a quesadilla outside a Cook Out in North Carolina at 2 in the morning! We were very honored to be asked to do this cover, and it was fascinating to dig into this song. Julia sent us a video of her playing the chords, and it was astonishing to realise how complex the song is musically while still feeling so immediate. It's a song with such a sense of scale and emotional heft that also plainly rocks, AND it's prog by stealth. It's so impressive and feels like a perfect expression of the 4 of them as musicians.
Next on the tracklist is Bad Bad Hats' spin on "Anywhere." The band's Kerry Alexander says:
Ratboys' song "Anywhere" instantly won me over with its locomotive guitaring, bright vocal stacks, and extra sing-along-able melodies. But when we were asked to cover the song, the thing I grabbed hold of tightest was Dave's slinky and off-kilter guitar riff. This became our eerie guiding light, dragging us to swampier sonic depths. Our darker reimagining imbued a more sinister edge to the lyrics, which we enjoyed leaning into.
After covering "Strange Love," Wild Pink's John Ross submitted this statement:
Ratboys are one of my favorite bands going and we've toured a lot together. I just love them and was glad to cover this song because it's one of my favorites from their latest album. It's a very short & sweet, timeless sounding song that felt good recording in a minimal way.
Free Range's recording of "What's Right?" is accompanied by this tribute from Sofia Jensen:
ratboys is one of the most inspiring bands around right now in my opinion. they’ve only ever put out incredible records and yet somehow each new one is better than the last. i think there’s a million reasons to love this band, but the thing that always pulls me in is julia’s melodies. her melodic sensibility is unbelievable and is always towing the line between tension and resolution in a way that makes for a masterclass in songwriting. the song “what’s right?,” like so many of their songs, is one that shocked me upon first listening in a way that i could not get out of my head. i will always return to this band.
Lastly, Kevin Morby tracked a voice memo of "Strange Love" and has this to say:
I’ve loved Ratboys long time! Midwestern heroes with an admirable work ethic. So I was thrilled when they asked me to contribute to the deluxe version of their great album. After getting the request I walked right up into the rafters of Union Transfer, where I was playing in Philly that evening, and recorded it before soundcheck.
Below, dig into all this bonus material, though if you haven't spent time with the main album yet, be sure to start there. We agree with these esteemed artists: It's one of the best sets of songs you'll hear this year.
Singin' To An Empty Chair (Deluxe) is out now on New West.
