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The Window (Ratboys album)

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The Window
Studio album by
Ratboys
ReleasedAugust 25, 2023
RecordedFebruary 2022
StudioHall of Justice (Seattle)
Genre
Length47:40
LabelTopshelf
Producer Ratboys
Ratboys chronology
Happy Birthday, Ratboy
(2021) 		The Window
(2023)

The Window is the fifth studio album by Ratboys, released through Topshelf Records on August 25, 2023. For the album, the band decamped to Seattle to record with Chris Walla, best known for his work with Death Cab for Cutie.

Background

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Chicago-based indie rockers Ratboys first came to prominence in the 2010s, mounting tours with bands like Foxing and Wild Pink, and releasing well-received albums like GN (2017) and Printer's Devil (2020).[3] The band began writing the album in 2020, and spent the following year practicing the songs twice a week to explore their possibilities. The album was produced by Chris Walla. The band had first met Walla on a tour stop in Montreal, and he agreed to produce the album in 2021.[4] In preparation, the group sent voice memos to Walla, who offered suggestions. The album was recorded across twenty-four days in February 2022 at Walla's Hall of Justice Recording in Seattle.[4] Walla assisted the band in recording to tape for their first time.[2] Steiner considered the album's lyrical content more directly specific than ever before: "A lot of the songs are more personal, more real, [and] more honest," she stated.[3]

Steiner wrote the title track about an experience her grandfather had at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to say goodbye to his ailing wife due to pandemic restrictions, he simply saw her through the nursing home window.[5] The song's music video depicts a young couple finding romance amidst scenes set in a grassy field or at the county fair.[6] "Black Earth, WI" is an eight-minute overture with roots rock overtones that was completed in two takes.[2] "Morning Zoo" tackles anxiety-ridden indecision,[7] while "Crossed That Line" was originally meant to soundtrack a friend's film about a fictional punk band.[4]

In support of the album, the band will embark on their first domestic headlining tour.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Skinny[10]
Pitchfork8.0/10[11]

The Window received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[8] The Skinny's Tony Inglis wrote that the album "is indicative of a newfound assuredness for a band which itself has stretched from a two-piece to a full foursome".[10] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic described The Window as "a volatile [set] that continues a gradual shift in balance toward harsher guitar tones and more energy without shunning the ambling, jangly alt-country that has co-existed with the band's Breeders-revering alt-rock side since their full-length debut".[9]

Accolades

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The Window featured on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2023, ranking on such lists by Paste (fifth),[12] Stereogum (sixth),[13] Exclaim! (8th),[14] Consequence (11th),[15] Slant Magazine (13th),[16] The Line of Best Fit (24th),[17] PopMatters (49th),[18] and Uproxx (of 74 unranked best-of-the-year albums).[19] Pitchfork, meanwhile, listed it as one of 37 unranked best rock albums of the year.[20]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Julia Steiner, David Sagan, Sean Neumann, and Marcus Nuccio

The Window track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Making Noise for the Ones You Love"4:03
2."Morning Zoo"3:10
3."Crossed That Line"2:05
4."It's Alive!"3:24
5."No Way"5:37
6."The Window"4:15
7."Empty"3:51
8."Break"4:38
9."Black Earth, WI"8:34
10."I Want You (Fall 2010)"3:48
11."Bad Reaction"4:15
Total length:47:40

Personnel

[edit]

Ratboys

  • Sean Neumann – bass, vocals
  • Marcus Nuccio – drums
  • David Sagan – guitar
  • Julia Steiner – vocals, guitar

Technical

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ratboys announce new album The Window, North American tour dates". Consequence. June 6, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c DeVille, Chris (March 7, 2023). "Ratboys Share New Song "Black Earth, WI": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Brown, Eric Renner (August 10, 2023). "How a Bernie Sanders Shout-Out, The Post-Country Boom & Chris Walla's Know-How Primed Ratboys for Their Biggest Album Yet". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Mitchell, Matt (June 6, 2023). "Exclusive | Ratboys Find Their View". Paste. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (June 29, 2023). "Ratboys Share New Song "The Window": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ratboys' new single "The Window" is an ode to indie rock romance: Stream". Consequence. June 29, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Rettig, James (August 10, 2023). "Ratboys Share New Single "Morning Zoo": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "The Window by Ratboys Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "Ratboys – The Window Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Inglis, Tony (August 21, 2023). "Ratboys album review: The Window". The Skinny. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  11. ^ Rytlewski, Evan. "Ratboys: The Window". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Paste Staff. "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  13. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023". Stereogum. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  14. ^ Exclaim! Staff (November 30, 2023). "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  15. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2023: Consequence Annual Report". 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  16. ^ Slant Staff (2023-12-07). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  17. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  18. ^ "The 80 Best Albums of 2023". PopMatters. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  19. ^ "These Are The Best Albums Of 2023". UPROXX. 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  20. ^ "The 37 Best Rock Albums of 2023". Pitchfork. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
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