Ratboys

Ratboys arrive at Le Chinois in Montreuil on May 18, 2026 for a set of post-country and indie rock straight out of Chicago. Led by Julia Steiner’s clear voice and Dave Sagan’s guitars, the quartet is defending Singin’ to an Empty Chair, a sixth album conceived as a dialogue at a distance, where the songwriting gains in precision and transparency. On stage, the band alternates electric tension with gentler breaths, without losing its sense for crisp melodies and gripping harmonies.

Expect a journey that ranges from the luminous power-pop of “Anywhere” to the discreet twang of “Penny in the Lake,” passing through restrained-tempo ballads like “Just Want You to Know the Truth,” and on to a more expansive outing with “Light Night Mountains All That.” In the wake of The Window (2023), Ratboys have refined this direct, nervous sound by reworking with Chris Walla, between a cabin tucked away in Wisconsin and Electrical Audio in Chicago—an approach that is evident in the economy of the playing and the cohesion of the arrangements.

Steiner’s lyrics scrutinize relationships and the intimate with a frankness free of pathos, slipping in a subtle humor and a calming clarity. Live, this writing stretches between melodic indie rock, bursts of power-pop and alt-country inflections. There will be guests on the bill, but the evening’s compass remains this Chicago quartet, balanced between immediate energy and attention to detail.