Ratboys just revealed that their new album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair, is landing on February 6, thanks to New West.
The band’s brand new track “Anywhere” popped up with a quirky music video led by Bobby Butterscotch, and the song’s got this urgent, pop-rock sound that sticks in your head. The album doesn’t just stop there—there are 11 songs total, some fans might recognize “Light Night Mountains All That,” and all of them had Chris Walla sitting at the production controls (yep, he’s the same guy who helped them with The Window back in 2023). Julia Steiner, the brains behind most lyrics, had just stepped into therapy for the first time, which pushed her to write about trying to fix things with someone important—even if it’s super hard.
Steiner said, “The goal is to update this person on what’s been going on in my life and to try to bridge that impasse and reach out a hand into the void.” Her songwriting took a creative twist thanks to a therapy method called the “Empty Chair,” where the person she’s talking to isn’t actually there, but she pretends they are, sitting across the room, and just talks to them anyway.
Fans sometimes wonder if these deep songs help Julia feel better—maybe they help her let go of some pain.
If travel’s your thing, heads-up: Ratboys are kicking off their 2026 North American run in Detroit starting February 25, and they’ll keep rolling along into April. Oh, and next month, they’re dropping by London for a festival with Party Dozen and Upchuck—sounds like a fun crowd.
Here’s a look at the tracks you’ll find on Singin’ to an Empty Chair:
01 Open Up
02 Know You Then
03 Light Night Mountains All That
04 Anywhere
05 Penny in the Lake
06 Strange Love
07 The World, So Madly
08 Just Want You to Know the Truth
09 What’s Right?
10 Burn It Down
11 At Peace in the Hundred Acre Wood
Sometimes I wish albums still came with secret songs at the end, like a musical surprise snack.
