Ratboys — the rootsy, self-described “post-country” project of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan — have been honing their craft for a while now, most cohesively on their 2015 debut full-length AOID. They’ve just announced their sophomore album, GN (short for “goodnight”), with the new song, “Control.” The band’s writing blurs the line between personal and conceptual: The track’s narrative is firmly rooted in reality — it’s inspired by a close-call childhood encounter with an oncoming train that Steiner’s younger brother narrowly avoided — but the way that Steiner sings of “visions of big machines transformed” and “sloping mountains,” it feels almost fantastical. Which makes sense, considering the song questions how the hand of fate guides us past the near-misses and almost-accident: “Who’s in control?” she asks before launching into a wordless but melodically sweet hook. Listen via The Fader below.

Tracklist:
01 “Molly”
02 “Elvis Is In The Freezer”
03 “Westside”
04 “Control”
05 “Crying About The Planets”
06 “Dangerous Visions”
07 “Wandered”
08 “GN”
09 “The Record”
10 “Peter The Wild Boy”

GN is out 6/30 via Topshelf Records. Pre-order it here.