Ratboys Expand Their Indie Rock Mastery With Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe), Highlighting Community, Collaborations, and a Massive Homecoming

Executive Overview

Indie rock stalwarts Ratboys are charting a vibrant new course for their acclaimed catalog with the announcement of Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe). This upcoming expanded release pairs the original, beloved tracklist of the band’s recent work with an impressive slate of covers and collaborative reinterpretations. Featuring contributions from peers across the contemporary indie rock landscape—including PUP, Ducks Ltd., Wild Pink, Bad Bad Hats, and Free Range—the deluxe edition serves as both a celebration of community and a profound exercise in artistic metamorphosis.

Alongside the album announcement, the band has shared a blistering cover of The Marked Men’s classic track "Fix My Brain," captured live during a recent SiriusXM session. For frontwoman Julia Steiner, the cover represents a deep-seated personal obsession transformed into a triumphant band performance.

The rollout of Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe) arrives at a pivotal juncture for Ratboys. Fresh off an intensive European tour that included a packed, sold-out performance in London and a celebrated appearance at the End of the Road Festival, the band is setting their sights on an expansive upcoming United States tour. The year-long victory lap will culminate in what is easily the most ambitious headlining performance of their career: a hometown blow-out at Chicago’s prestigious Salt Shed on December 19.

This comprehensive report examines the anatomy of the deluxe release, explores the unique collaborative philosophy driving the project, analyzes the significance of their blistering cover of The Marked Men, and contextualizes Ratboys’ sustained trajectory as one of the most vital, hard-working bands in modern indie rock.

Detailed Chronology

To fully understand the weight of Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe), one must trace the timeline of Ratboys’ recent artistic output, live milestones, and the deliberate steps that led to this expansive collection.

The Foundation and the Road

Ratboys have spent the better part of the last decade meticulously building a reputation as road warriors. Known for their dynamic live shows that effortlessly pivot between soaring, arena-sized anthems and intimate, acoustic-driven reflections, the band has steadily grown their audience through relentless touring and an uncompromising commitment to their craft.

The path toward the deluxe edition gained serious momentum following a dense run of international dates. Most recently, Ratboys crossed the Atlantic for a European tour that tested their endurance and rewarded their European fan base. Highlights of this run included a completely sold-out headlining show in London—a notorious proving ground for North American indie acts—and a triumphant slot at the revered End of the Road Festival. These performances solidified the band’s international appeal, proving that their signature blend of heartland rock sensibilities and midwestern emo-adjacent lyricism transcends geographic boundaries.

The SiriusXM Session and "Fix My Brain"

The narrative surrounding the deluxe release accelerated today with the unearthing of a specific studio artifact: Ratboys’ cover of "Fix My Brain," originally by the influential punk-pop/garage-rock outfit The Marked Men.

Recorded live during an exclusive SiriusXM session, the track bridges two distinct eras of independent guitar music. While other members of Ratboys had long harbored an appreciation for The Marked Men, the song served as a watershed moment for singer and guitarist Julia Steiner.

"The guys were already long-time fans of The Marked Men, but to me ‘Fix My Brain’ was a total revelation," Steiner shares. "I hyper-fixated on the song in ways that are pretty rare for me these days. When it came time to choose a cover to perform for our SiriusXM live session, it was a no-brainer to finally give this one a go."

The resulting track infuses the razor-sharp urgency of the original composition with Ratboys’ distinctive melodic warmth, creating a dynamic bridge between punk pedigree and indie-rock polish.

The Collaborative Vision

Rather than treating a deluxe edition as a mere dumping ground for outtakes and B-sides, Ratboys envisioned Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe) as a collaborative playground. The band opened up their master tracks to some of their closest peers, biggest musical inspirations, and contemporaries shaping the modern indie rock ecosystem.

The curation of guest artists reads like a wish-list of critical darlings:

• PUP brings their trademark ragged intensity to "Know You Then."
• Ducks Ltd. applies their jangly, precision-tooled guitar interplay to "Light Night Mountains All That."
• Bad Bad Hats inject "Anywhere" with their signature breezy, hook-laden charm.
• Wild Pink transforms "Strange Love" into a sprawling, atmospheric meditation.
• Free Range reinterprets "What’s Right?" through a lens of quiet, striking introspection.

This peer-to-peer exchange transforms a static recording into a living, breathing conversation among artists who share festival lineups, tour vans, and a mutual respect for the craft of songwriting.

Supporting Context & Metrics

The Tracklist Breakdown

The official tracklist for Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe) illustrates a carefully balanced sequencing of original material, rare session recordings, and radical reimagining. The comprehensive run-time offers listeners an exhaustive look into the world of the album.

Standard / Core Tracks:

1. "Open Up"
2. "Know You Then"
3. "Light Night Mountains All That"
4. "Anywhere"
5. "Penny in the Lake"
6. "Strange Love"
7. "The World, So Madly"
8. "Just Want You to Know the Truth"
9. "What’s Right?"
10. "Burn It Down"
11. "At Peace in the Hundred Acre Wood"

Deluxe Additions & Covers:

12. "Fix My Brain (SiriusXM Session)" (The Marked Men Cover)
13. "Know You Then" (feat. PUP)
14. "Light Night Mountains All That" (feat. Ducks Ltd.)
15. "Anywhere" (feat. Bad Bad Hats)
16. "Strange Love" (feat. Wild Pink)
17. "What’s Right?" (feat. Free Range)

Live Circuit Statistics and the Salt Shed Milestone

Ratboys’ upcoming schedule underscores their current career momentum. Following their return from Europe, the band will embark on an extensive routing across the United States throughout the autumn months.

The touring cycle will culminate on December 19 with a milestone headlining show at The Salt Shed in Chicago. For a band with deep historical ties to the Midwest, playing the Salt Shed—one of Chicago’s premier contemporary indoor/outdoor cultural venues—represents a monumental achievement. It stands as their largest headlining hometown show to date, signaling that Ratboys have successfully graduated from beloved club-circuit staples to marquee headliners in their home market.

Official Statements

The collaborative spirit behind Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe) is perhaps best understood through the words of the band themselves. Frontwoman Julia Steiner reflected on the surreal and humbling experience of hearing peer musicians reinvent her catalog:

"We thought it’d be fun to cover one of our favourite songs and then to ask some of our closest friends and biggest inspirations in music to put their spin on some of our new songs. It’s a total trip and such an honour to hear the album songs transformed into something new entirely."

This perspective highlights a refreshing ethos of creative generosity. In an industry where deluxe editions are frequently manufactured as naked cash grabs or arbitrary contractual obligations, Ratboys has curated a project rooted in genuine mutual admiration, community building, and artistic exploration.

Future Outlook

As the music industry continues to grapple with shifting consumption models, vinyl supply chain challenges, and the economic pressures of touring, the sustained success of bands like Ratboys offers a blueprint for longevity. By prioritizing authentic relationships within the indie rock community, maintaining an aggressive and strategic live schedule, and treating their recorded output as a canvas for ongoing collaboration, Ratboys have built an ecosystem that is both resilient and deeply engaging for fans.

The immediate future holds no rest for the weary. With the release of Singin’ to an Empty Chair (Deluxe) on the horizon, paired with a grueling and prestigious U.S. tour schedule, the band is poised to close out the year at the absolute peak of their creative powers.

All eyes will undoubtedly turn toward Chicago on December 19, where thousands of fans will pack the Salt Shed to witness a hometown band claim their rightful place in the pantheon of modern American indie rock. Whether you are discovering Ratboys through PUP’s ferocious reimagining of "Know You Then," losing yourself in Wild Pink’s atmospheric take on "Strange Love," or singing along with Julia Steiner on the floor of a crowded venue, one thing is certain: Ratboys are writing their own rules, and the indie rock world is richer for it.