Ratboys

 
Born out of fierce friendship and a mutual affection for melody, Chicago’s Ratboys – anchored by the partnership of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan – aim to ‘write songs that tell stories and honor the intimacy of memory,’ according to Steiner.


Steiner and Sagan felt the impulse to make music together from the get-go – they first met as university students, quickly put out an EP together, and started performing as an acoustic two-piece in dorm rooms and backyards. During the next few years, the friends traveled separately, eventually reunited, and recorded what would become the first Ratboys record, AOID, which the folks at GoldFlakePaint describe as ‘a gleaming, joyous, raucous display of melodic indie-rock.’

After a year and a half of touring the US and Europe as a plugged-in full band (featuring the additions of drums, bass, and trumpet), the members of Ratboys returned to Chicago and holed up at Atlas Studios for two weeks to record with engineer Mikey Crotty (who had previously worked with the group on the songs 'Not Again' and 'Light Pollution'). ‘This time around, we were lucky enough to feature the talents of friends who play the pedal steel, accordion, cello and violin to give the songs an extra something,’ says Steiner. ‘Dave finally got to show off his ridiculous skills on the pocket piano, and the whole thing felt like one big loving experiment.’

Ratboys keep the good times going in 2018 with a new EP called ‘GL’ (aka Good Luck). Featuring four songs recorded shortly after the GN sessions, this new companion piece expands upon themes of isolation and memory, while focusing closely on the ups and downs of personal relationships.

‘Each of the songs on GL sounds like its own little world, which is what we set out to do,’ Steiner says. With each song sounding distinct from the rest, the EP offers up four different takes on the sounds of heartache.

On the heals of their newest release, you can find Ratboys on the road, playing songs old and new all over North America and Europe. Contact us with any requests!

RIYL: Rilo Kiley, Pinegrove, Girlpool, Hop Along
TRY: #4, 2, 3
DIRTY: #1

Download full album here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/

More Info Here:
http://www.topshelfrecords.com/roster/ratboys
https://www.facebook.com/ratboysmusic
https://www.instagram.com/ratboysband/
https://twitter.com/ratboysband
https://ratboys.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/ratboysmusic