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Jun 06, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Alexa Viscius

Chicago rockers, Ratboys, have announced the release of their sixth studio album The Window, and shared a music video of its new single, “It’s Alive!” The Window is due out August 25 via Topshelf. The music video was directed by John TerEick. The band have also announced some North American fall tour dates for their North American tour. Watch the video below, followed by The Window’s tracklist and cover art, as well as the upcoming tour dates.

The Ratboys, composed of members Julia Steiner (guitar, vocals), Dave Sagan (guitar), Marcus Nuccio (drums), and Sean Neumann (bass)—ventured to Seattle to work with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Foxing) when making The Window. The album was almost fully crafted before heading into the studio, but Walla pushed the band to expand their vision, adding unexpected instruments such as rototoms, talkboxes, and fiddles.

“We didn’t get bogged down in technical terms, and he never placed pressure on us in that way. With Chris steering the ship, we were free to go off on little creative expeditions and come up with parts and ideas we’d never imagined,” Nuccio says in a press release.

The spontaneity of the instrumentals are matched with the songwriting and lyricism of the band. “The album is sonically diverse, shifting wildly from track to track and flexing everything from fuzzy power pop choruses to warm country twang to mournful folk,” according to the press release.

The Window’s opening track, “It’s Alive!” is an ode to “the overarching feeling of the world spinning on beneath you while you’re stuck in one place,” according to Steiner.

The album includes “Black Earth, WI,” a new song the band shared in March which made our Songs of the Week list.

Read our 2021 interview with Ratboys.

The Window Tracklist:

1. Making Noise for the Ones You Love
2. Morning Zoo
3. Crossed that Line
4. It’s Alive!
5. No Way
6. The Window
7. Empty
8. Break
9. Black Earth, WI
10. I Want You (Fall 2010)
11. Bad Reaction

Ratboys Tour Dates:

Fri. Aug. 25 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
Thu. Sep. 21 - Champaign-Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Festival
Fri. Sep. 22 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Sat. Sep. 23 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. Sep. 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Wed. Sep. 27 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Thu. Sep. 28 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Fri. Sep. 29 - Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal
Sat. Sep. 30 - Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern
Mon. Oct. 2 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall
Tue. Oct. 3 - Cleveland, OH @ No Class
Wed. Oct. 4 - Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Fri. Oct. 6 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Sat. Oct. 7 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
Thu. Oct. 19 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb
Sat. Oct. 21 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Sun. Oct. 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Tue. Oct. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
Wed. Oct. 25 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. Oct. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord
Sat. Oct. 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Highland Park
Sun. Oct. 29 - San Diego, CA @ The Loft at UC San Diego
Mon. Oct. 30 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Tue. Oct. 31 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Thu. Nov. 2 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Fri. Nov. 3 - Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage
Sat. Nov. 4 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

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