Ratboys on their latest album, ‘Singin’ to an Empty Chair’

Singin’ to an Empty Chair, the latest album from Chicago band Ratboys, takes its name from lead vocalist Julia Steiner’s experience in therapy.

“Picture this: You’re sitting across from a chair where no one else is sitting. The idea is to speak aloud to that empty chair as if someone were there,” she says.

The “empty chair” technique helped Steiner organize personal memories, which helped shape the emotional core of the band’s new album.

Today, Steiner and lead guitarist Dave Sagan talk about their trip to Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, where they worked on Singin’ to an Empty Chair with producer Chris Walla. They also reflect on their place as elder statesmen in Chicago’s indie music scene.

Plus, Ratboys perform live in the studio.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.