Not many bands can pull off an eight-minute rocker at the Tiny Desk. Chicago's finest lean into its excellent guitar playing, poignant lyrics and a sturdy, Midwestern sensibility.

Plus watch their Tiny Desk Concert

Vermont singer-songwriter Lily Seabird has never been one to stand still. Across recent releases like Alas and Trash Mountain, she carved out a space

More shows in North America and UK lined up

Hometown: Chicago, IL Why They’re WXPN Artist To Watch: Ratboys make indie rock in the grand Midwestern tradition — hearts on their sleeves, served with big jangle and the occasional vocal harmonies, ...

“Grief is such a complex emotion,” she says. “Not even an emotion. It’s such a complex process. I don’t think just focusing on the sadness of grief really does justice to how multifaceted it can be.” ...

The shortest month of the year is ending on a high note with this week's roundup of can't-miss concerts coming to Toronto, which includes

Ratboys frontwoman Julia Steiner discusses how 'Singin' to an Empty Chair' grew from a grief practice into a collection of bright, aching songs that never settle for just one feeling at a time.

Plus Billy Steinberg, Ratboys, Velocity Girl

Singin' to an Empty Chair by Ratboys released in 2026. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

One of the delights of the prior Ratboys album, 2023’s The Window, is that I could recommend it to almost any indie rock fan. You like beautiful ‘Singin’ to an Empty Chair’ finds the Chicago indie roc...

Vocalist/guitarist Julia Steiner of eclectic rock band Ratboys discusses the new album 'Singin' to an Empty Chair.'

The Beck rarity “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” has officially hit streaming services and we can’t get enough of it. We’ve also got new (not-yet-announced) projects from Friko and Asher White, a wi...

Friko impressed a lot of us with their 2024 debut album Where we’ve been, Where we go from here. Today they announce the follow-up, which is even better. I’m excited for you all to hear Something Wort...

Horsegirl’s new Matador album has made them the most visible members of a thriving musical and artistic community that’s still too young for most clubs.

Amid renewed protests, benefit shows, and mounting public scrutiny of ICE, Chicago indie rock staples Ratboys are using their upcoming

"Singin' to an Empty Chair" is Ratboys' sixth album, and it’s undoubtedly the Chicago band's most vulnerable work yet.

The nicest indie rock band in Chicago has finally uncorked its true sound—it only took 16 years. We catch up with the humble, hard-working Ratboys and talk about swinging for the fences with their new...

Last week, I did a long interview with Julia Steiner, leader of the truly kickass Chicago indie rock band Ratboys. I’d met Steiner once before, and I already knew she was a Steelers fan, so I made sur...

Ratboys roll out the "Bolo Joe" at JT's, Beverly Phono Mart opens a pop-up while its crashed-into storefront gets fixed, and more.

Ratboys have been a perennially underrated act for the best part of a decade, but with the hooks, heart, and heaviness packed into Singin’ To An Empty Chair’s 50 mins, their time could well be now.

This is a free post from Larry Fitzmaurice's Last Donut of the Night newsletter. Paid subscribers get one or two email-only Baker's Dozens every week featuring music I've been listening to and some cr...

The nicest indie rock band in Chicago has finally uncorked its true sound—it only took 16 years. We catch up with the humble, hard-working Ratboys and talk about swinging for the fences with their new...

The nicest indie rock band in Chicago has finally uncorked its true sound—it only took 16 years. We catch up with the humble, hard-working Ratboys and talk about swinging for the fences with their new...

I have to trim down my coffee intake, and it is highlighting the grip of addiction in my brain. I currently drink an amount that is shocking to anyone not similarly afflicted with the same predisposit...

Rage-rap, Ratboys, Rate Your Music-core, and more.

YouTube video by Ratboys

August Ponthier hails from Texas, but as their new album title professes, Everywhere Isn’t Texas. For Ponthier, that’s a complicated truth — sometimes a relief, sometimes a lament. The title’s backsto...

I am perfectly on time with this, which is to say I am late.

2025 is officially in our rearview mirror, and now that the season of “Best Of” lists is formally closed, the only way to look is forward. While the