{"title":"Ratboys","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"ratboys-happy-birthday-ratboy","title":"Ratboys - Happy Birthday, Ratboy LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eReleased as a surprise on April 1st, 2021, \u003cem\u003eHappy Birthday, Ratboy\u003c\/em\u003e comes 10 years to the day since the release of the band’s first EP. New recordings of the 5 original RATBOY EP songs make up the A-side of the record, with 5 new versions of rare college-era tracks and the newly-written “Go Outside” on the B-side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing mainstays from their live show over the years, including “The Stanza'' and “Space Blows,” pressed to vinyl for the first time and given the full band treatment, \u003cem\u003eHappy Birthday, Ratboy\u003c\/em\u003e introduces new Ratboys fans to the band’s beginnings while also raising a toast to those who’ve been there from the start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePre-orders expected to ship March 2026!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Birthday Candles (Yellow Splatter) 12\" Vinyl - 1st Press (out of 411)","offer_id":44427453530390,"sku":"TSR230-1LE","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red Velvet Vinyl LP **PRE-ORDER**","offer_id":49466006405398,"sku":"TSR230-1OE","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/Luch_-_20250813_155225_0d102c09-5401-42a0-af84-516940152a70.jpg?v=1766447136"},{"product_id":"ratboys-gn","title":"Ratboys - GN LP","description":"\u003cem\u003eGN\u003c\/em\u003e offers a bevy of tales, laments and triumphs, which recount near-tragedies by the train tracks, crippling episodes of loneliness, remembrances of a deceased family pet with freezer burn, and on and on. The songs shift and breathe as worlds all their own, tied together by the group’s self-proclaimed ‘post-country’ sound, which combines moments of distortion and a DIY aesthetic with a devotion to simple songwriting and ties to the Americana sounds of years past.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe songs chosen to close both sides of the record – the slow-burning \"Crying About the Planets\" and quizzical \"Peter the Wild Boy\" - unpack the respective journeys of two real people who were quite literally lost and found. \"Crying\" tells the survival story of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson from a first-person perspective, and \"Peter\" reflects on the life of a feral child in Germany who was eventually adopted by the King of England,\" according to Julia Steiner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCertain personal stories - the tour adventures recapped in \"GM,\" the struggle to learn to show affection as divulged in \"Molly\" - find Ratboys just as eagerly exploring subject matter that comes from within, and then illustrating the highs and lows with soaring hooks and plaintive ones. Even in the moments that lie somewhere between bliss and misery, a tension persists between Steiner’s sweet vocal delivery and Sagan’s physical, almost-off-the-hinges guitar playing that lends each song a deeper sense of color and movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor fans of Remember Sports, Waxahatchee, Radiator Hospital.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe vinyl comes in a beautiful gatefold style LP jacket with a printed dust sleeve. Inside the gatefold is a photograph of another piece similar to that of the cover image, taped to a desk around some more obscure objects. Lyrics printed on inside sleeve as well as a photo of the band!","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Cloudy Blue on Clear LP - 4th Press (out of 1000)","offer_id":44427464245526,"sku":"TSR170-1LE","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Magic Carpet Vinyl - Open Edition","offer_id":49465956237590,"sku":"TSR170-1OE","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/magiccarpet.png?v=1747171545"},{"product_id":"ratboys-printers-devil","title":"Ratboys - Printer's Devil LP","description":"\u003cem\u003ePrinter's Devil\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded live at Decade Music Studios in Chicago and was produced by the band and engineer Erik Rasmussen. The result captures the bombastic, electrified fun of their live show in a bottle and showcases their growing chemistry as a tight-knit group.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteiner wrote the majority of \u003cem\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/em\u003e with Sagan while she was experiencing a dramatic shift in her own foundations, demoing out songs in her Louisville, Kentucky childhood home, which had just been sold and emptied out. “Demoing there was almost too intense,” Steiner says. “I kept writing in my journal that it feels like we shouldn’t be there. I don’t know if that feeling made its way directly into the lyrics, but to me the songs will always be connected to that sense of home and time passing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUpheaval and change are clear themes spread throughout the songs of \u003cem\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/em\u003e, but the moments of uncertainty are embraced as a necessary part of growing. And through it all, Ratboys’ dynamics still beautifully thread together the kinds of intimate folk songs and devastating alt-country tracks that fans have come to expect from them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe hope you enjoy the album as it's one of our favorite to date.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Lake \u0026 Pink Butterfly on Transparent Blue LP - 3rd Press (out of 1000)","offer_id":44427465195798,"sku":"TSR206-1LE","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Transparent + Burgundy Stripe","offer_id":50009337135382,"sku":"TSR206-1LE2","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/products\/206_p6_p12butterflywp2splatcopy.jpg?v=1679818053"},{"product_id":"ratboys-the-window-lp-pre-order","title":"Ratboys - The Window LP","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter more than ten years and four studio albums, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Window\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e finally captures Ratboys as they were always meant to be heard—expansive while still intimate, audacious while still tender—the sound of four friends operating as a single, cohesive unit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Pink + Blue 2xLP (open edition)","offer_id":48858195820822,"sku":"TSR267-1OE","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Morning Blue 2xLP (out of 1250)","offer_id":45475857170710,"sku":"TSR267-1LE","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/267_vinylmockup_doublelppinkblue180gramblack.jpg?v=1721358597"},{"product_id":"ratboys-the-window-cs-pre-order","title":"Ratboys - The Window CS","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter more than ten years and four studio albums, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Window\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e finally captures Ratboys as they were always meant to be heard—expansive while still intimate, audacious while still tender—the sound of four friends operating as a single, cohesive unit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Pink Shell","offer_id":45475880567062,"sku":"TSR267-3","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/267_cs.jpg?v=1691029016"},{"product_id":"ratboys-the-window-cd-pre-order","title":"Ratboys - The Window CD","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter more than ten years and four studio albums, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Window\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e finally captures Ratboys as they were always meant to be heard—expansive while still intimate, audacious while still tender—the sound of four friends operating as a single, cohesive unit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45475902226710,"sku":"TSR267-2","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/tsr267_cd.jpg?v=1691029433"},{"product_id":"ratboys-t-v-not-january-split-7","title":"Ratboys \/ T.V.NOT JANUARY - Split 7\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 7\" vinyl features an exclusive track from both Ratboys and T.V.NOT JANUARY, released in honor of the bands' 2024 Japan tour. Includes lyrics insert and glue pocket jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"red and pink half-and-half vinyl","offer_id":47629077446934,"sku":null,"price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"pink vinyl","offer_id":47629077479702,"sku":null,"price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/276_vinylmockup_pinkred_4dcee3f9-70fe-4acf-a9f6-6b1fe1ae9ac3.jpg?v=1709358732"},{"product_id":"ratboys-gl","title":"Ratboys - GL CS","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn out of fierce friendship and a mutual affection for melody, Chicago’s Ratboys – anchored by the partnership of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan – aim to ‘write songs that tell stories and honor the intimacy of memory,’ according to Steiner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGN, the group’s second full-length album via Topshelf Records, offers a bevy of tales, laments and triumphs, which recount near-tragedies by the train tracks, crippling episodes of loneliness, remembrances of a deceased family pet with freezer burn, and on and on. The songs shift and breathe as worlds all their own, tied together by the group’s self-proclaimed ‘post-country’ sound, which combines moments of distortion and a DIY aesthetic with a devotion to simple songwriting and ties to the Americana sounds of years past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing influence from the down-to-earth sincerity of late-90s Sheryl Crow and the confessional confidence of Kim Deal and Jenny Lewis, the songs on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(aka ‘goodnight’) “largely detail experiences of saying goodbye, finding your way home, and then figuring out what the hell to do once you’re back,” says Steiner. The songs chosen to close both sides of the record – the slow-burning ‘Crying About the Planets’ and quizzical ‘Peter the Wild Boy’ – unpack the respective journeys of two real people who were quite literally lost and found. ‘’Crying’ tells the survival story of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson from a first-person perspective, and ‘Peter’ reflects on the life of a feral child in Germany who was eventually adopted by the King of England,’ according to Steiner. ‘Writing as and about these people is the best way I can attempt to empathize with them and really just wrap my mind around these bits of history that otherwise might not get talked about. And it helps me understand my own experiences a little bit better,’ she says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCertain personal stories – the tour adventures recapped in ‘GM,’ the struggle to learn to show affection as divulged in ‘Molly’ – find Ratboys just as eagerly exploring subject matter that comes from within, and then illustrating the highs and lows with soaring hooks and plaintive ones. Even in the moments that lie somewhere between bliss and misery, a tension persists between Steiner’s sweet vocal delivery and Sagan’s physical, almost-off-the-hinges guitar playing that lends each song a deeper sense of color and movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSteiner and Sagan felt the impulse to make music together from the get-go – they first met as university students, quickly put out an EP together, and started performing as an acoustic two-piece in dorm rooms and backyards. During the next few years, the friends traveled separately, eventually reunited, and recorded what would become the first Ratboys record,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eAOID\u003c\/i\u003e, which the folks at GoldFlakePaint describe as ‘a gleaming, joyous, raucous display of melodic indie-rock.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a year and a half of touring the US and Europe as a plugged-in full band (featuring the additions of drums, bass, and trumpet), the members of Ratboys returned to Chicago and holed up at Atlas Studios for two weeks to record with engineer Mikey Crotty (who had previously worked with the group on the songs 'Not Again' and 'Light Pollution'). ‘This time around, we were lucky enough to feature the talents of friends who play the pedal steel, accordion, cello and violin to give the songs an extra something,’ says Steiner. ‘Dave finally got to show off his ridiculous skills on the pocket piano, and the whole thing felt like one big loving experiment.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRatboys keep the good times going in 2018 with a new EP called\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(aka Good Luck). Featuring four songs recorded shortly after the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esessions, this new companion piece expands upon themes of isolation and memory, while focusing closely on the ups and downs of personal relationships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Each of the songs on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esounds like its own little world, which is what we set out to do,’ Steiner says. With each song sounding distinct from the rest, the EP offers up four different takes on the sounds of heartache.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the heals of their newest release, you can find Ratboys on the road, playing songs old and new all over North America and Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49117797187862,"sku":"TSR174-3","price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/174_bandcamp_cassette.jpg?v=1750808938"},{"product_id":"ratboys-printers-devil-cs","title":"Ratboys - Printer's Devil CS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was recorded live at Decade Music Studios in Chicago and was produced by the band and engineer Erik Rasmussen. The result captures the bombastic, electrified fun of their live show in a bottle and showcases their growing chemistry as a tight-knit group. Steiner wrote the majority of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e with Sagan while she was experiencing a dramatic shift in her own foundations, demoing out songs in her Louisville, Kentucky childhood home, which had just been sold and emptied out. “Demoing there was almost too intense,” Steiner says. “I kept writing in my journal that it feels like we shouldn’t be there. I don’t know if that feeling made its way directly into the lyrics, but to me the songs will always be connected to that sense of home and time passing.” Upheaval and change are clear themes spread throughout the songs of Printer’s Devil, but the moments of uncertainty are embraced as a necessary part of growing. And through it all, Ratboys’ dynamics still beautifully thread together the kinds of intimate folk songs and devastating alt-country tracks that fans have come to expect from them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009167855894,"sku":"TSR206-3","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/cropped1.jpg?v=1746673785"},{"product_id":"ratboys-printers-devil-cs-1","title":"Ratboys - Printer's Devil CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was recorded live at Decade Music Studios in Chicago and was produced by the band and engineer Erik Rasmussen. The result captures the bombastic, electrified fun of their live show in a bottle and showcases their growing chemistry as a tight-knit group. Steiner wrote the majority of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrinter’s Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e with Sagan while she was experiencing a dramatic shift in her own foundations, demoing out songs in her Louisville, Kentucky childhood home, which had just been sold and emptied out. “Demoing there was almost too intense,” Steiner says. “I kept writing in my journal that it feels like we shouldn’t be there. I don’t know if that feeling made its way directly into the lyrics, but to me the songs will always be connected to that sense of home and time passing.” Upheaval and change are clear themes spread throughout the songs of Printer’s Devil, but the moments of uncertainty are embraced as a necessary part of growing. And through it all, Ratboys’ dynamics still beautifully thread together the kinds of intimate folk songs and devastating alt-country tracks that fans have come to expect from them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009188729110,"sku":"TSR206-2","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/cropped1_3450746b-74fc-4c67-a856-c525cb5628e2.jpg?v=1746673923"},{"product_id":"ratboys-gn-cd","title":"Ratboys - GN CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eGN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e offers a bevy of tales, laments and triumphs, which recount near-tragedies by the train tracks, crippling episodes of loneliness, remembrances of a deceased family pet with freezer burn, and on and on. The songs shift and breathe as worlds all their own, tied together by the group’s self-proclaimed ‘post-country’ sound, which combines moments of distortion and a DIY aesthetic with a devotion to simple songwriting and ties to the Americana sounds of years past.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe songs chosen to close both sides of the record – the slow-burning \"Crying About the Planets\" and quizzical \"Peter the Wild Boy\" - unpack the respective journeys of two real people who were quite literally lost and found. \"Crying\" tells the survival story of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson from a first-person perspective, and \"Peter\" reflects on the life of a feral child in Germany who was eventually adopted by the King of England,\" according to Julia Steiner.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertain personal stories - the tour adventures recapped in \"GM,\" the struggle to learn to show affection as divulged in \"Molly\" - find Ratboys just as eagerly exploring subject matter that comes from within, and then illustrating the highs and lows with soaring hooks and plaintive ones. Even in the moments that lie somewhere between bliss and misery, a tension persists between Steiner’s sweet vocal delivery and Sagan’s physical, almost-off-the-hinges guitar playing that lends each song a deeper sense of color and movement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009347424534,"sku":"TSR170-2","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/ratboys_cd_large_d26568f5-98d1-405b-a61c-493fb1cf4a43.jpg?v=1746680631"},{"product_id":"ratboys-gn-cs","title":"Ratboys - GN CS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eGN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e offers a bevy of tales, laments and triumphs, which recount near-tragedies by the train tracks, crippling episodes of loneliness, remembrances of a deceased family pet with freezer burn, and on and on. The songs shift and breathe as worlds all their own, tied together by the group’s self-proclaimed ‘post-country’ sound, which combines moments of distortion and a DIY aesthetic with a devotion to simple songwriting and ties to the Americana sounds of years past.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe songs chosen to close both sides of the record – the slow-burning \"Crying About the Planets\" and quizzical \"Peter the Wild Boy\" - unpack the respective journeys of two real people who were quite literally lost and found. \"Crying\" tells the survival story of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson from a first-person perspective, and \"Peter\" reflects on the life of a feral child in Germany who was eventually adopted by the King of England,\" according to Julia Steiner.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertain personal stories - the tour adventures recapped in \"GM,\" the struggle to learn to show affection as divulged in \"Molly\" - find Ratboys just as eagerly exploring subject matter that comes from within, and then illustrating the highs and lows with soaring hooks and plaintive ones. Even in the moments that lie somewhere between bliss and misery, a tension persists between Steiner’s sweet vocal delivery and Sagan’s physical, almost-off-the-hinges guitar playing that lends each song a deeper sense of color and movement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009350308118,"sku":"TSR170-3","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/ratboys_tape_large_a403e2af-eaa5-4de4-8010-0dd853118098.jpg?v=1746680805"},{"product_id":"ratboys-happy-birthday-ratboy-1","title":"Ratboys - Happy Birthday, Ratboy CS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e10 years ago this April — April 1st to be exact — Chicago’s Ratboys put out their first collection of songs. The RATBOY EP, consisting of five indie-folk dorm room recordings, was free to download on Bandcamp and humbly passed around to friends on social media.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCut to 2021, and Ratboys would normally be celebrating their 10-year anniversary on the road, playing a mix of songs from their very first release to their most recent, last year’s critically-acclaimed Printer’s Devil. Instead, just two weeks after the album’s February 2020 release and mere days before heading out on their first headline tour, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all touring to a halt. Despite not being able to play in-person shows for the past year, Ratboys has managed to stay busy by performing their music online via their own Virtual Tour series and by finding a different way to celebrate their first decade of being a band.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLots of time at home last year gave Ratboys a chance to hit the studio, which has led to Happy Birthday, Ratboy, a surprise party of a new album featuring 10 brand new recordings of the band’s earliest songs + a newly-written bonus track entitled “Go Outside.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthough written in 2019, the lyrics of “Go Outside” take on a special sense of relevance and yearning today more than ever. “It’s this carefree and wistful, totally innocent folk song about wanting to travel and spend time with loved ones,” songwriter Julia Steiner says. “We had no idea how much it would mean to us when we wrote it, but hopefully this song will provide a light in someone’s day and help us all wait out this weird ride a little bit longer,” Julia shares.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased as a surprise on April 1st, 2021, Happy Birthday, Ratboy comes 10 years to the day since the release of the band’s first EP. New recordings of the 5 original RATBOY EP songs make up the A-side of the record, with 5 new versions of rare college-era tracks and the newly-written “Go Outside” on the B-side.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeaturing mainstays from their live show over the years, including “The Stanza'' and “Space Blows,” pressed to vinyl for the first time and given the full band treatment, Happy Birthday, Ratboy introduces new Ratboys fans to the band’s beginnings while also raising a toast to those who’ve been there from the start.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009366626582,"sku":"TSR230-3","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/PhotoMar29_55049PM.jpg?v=1746683384"},{"product_id":"ratboys-happy-birthday-ratboy-cd","title":"Ratboys - Happy Birthday, Ratboy CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e10 years ago this April — April 1st to be exact — Chicago’s Ratboys put out their first collection of songs. The RATBOY EP, consisting of five indie-folk dorm room recordings, was free to download on Bandcamp and humbly passed around to friends on social media.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCut to 2021, and Ratboys would normally be celebrating their 10-year anniversary on the road, playing a mix of songs from their very first release to their most recent, last year’s critically-acclaimed Printer’s Devil. Instead, just two weeks after the album’s February 2020 release and mere days before heading out on their first headline tour, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all touring to a halt. Despite not being able to play in-person shows for the past year, Ratboys has managed to stay busy by performing their music online via their own Virtual Tour series and by finding a different way to celebrate their first decade of being a band.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLots of time at home last year gave Ratboys a chance to hit the studio, which has led to Happy Birthday, Ratboy, a surprise party of a new album featuring 10 brand new recordings of the band’s earliest songs + a newly-written bonus track entitled “Go Outside.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthough written in 2019, the lyrics of “Go Outside” take on a special sense of relevance and yearning today more than ever. “It’s this carefree and wistful, totally innocent folk song about wanting to travel and spend time with loved ones,” songwriter Julia Steiner says. “We had no idea how much it would mean to us when we wrote it, but hopefully this song will provide a light in someone’s day and help us all wait out this weird ride a little bit longer,” Julia shares.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased as a surprise on April 1st, 2021, Happy Birthday, Ratboy comes 10 years to the day since the release of the band’s first EP. New recordings of the 5 original RATBOY EP songs make up the A-side of the record, with 5 new versions of rare college-era tracks and the newly-written “Go Outside” on the B-side.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeaturing mainstays from their live show over the years, including “The Stanza'' and “Space Blows,” pressed to vinyl for the first time and given the full band treatment, Happy Birthday, Ratboy introduces new Ratboys fans to the band’s beginnings while also raising a toast to those who’ve been there from the start.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50009368035606,"sku":"TSR230-2","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/PhotoMar29_55725PM.jpg?v=1746683570"},{"product_id":"ratboys-dowsing-split-7-pink-robot","title":"Ratboys \/ Dowsing - Split 7\" Pink Robot","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDowsing and Ratboys are both from Chicago, good friends, and also share a band member. This split release features two tracks from each band and was released to coincide with them touring the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topshelf Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50127532982550,"sku":"TSR153-1LE","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/files\/PhotoApr01_40826PM.jpg?v=1749603894"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/0526\/6454\/collections\/Fall_2021_press_photo_by_Manda_Specht_Photography_resized.jpg?v=1679817050","url":"https:\/\/topshelf-records.com\/collections\/ratboys.oembed","provider":"Topshelf Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}