Chicago’s Ratboys have returned with a new single/video, “Light Night Mountains All That,” their first-ever release on their new label, New West Records. In conjunction, they announce a North American tour. This is the band’s first new music since 2023’s The Window.
“Light Night Mountains All That” is singer/guitarist Julia Steiner’s most thrilling vocal take yet, bolstered by a powerhouse performance by guitarist Dave Sagan, drummer Marcus Nuccio, bassist Sean Neumann, and piano by track co-producer Chris Walla. The track, deemed their “wormhole jam” by Steiner, is driven by an unorthodox time structure, exhilarating instrumentation, and the flare of extraterrestrial guitar bloops. “My original idea was to write an ultra-high energy folk song, in the style of The Dodos’ Visiter, with somewhat spooky, mysterious, and pastoral lyrics – like what Chris Otepka of The Heligoats might conjure up on a mushroom trip,” says Steiner. “This song really took shape during our initial writing session up at the Driftless Cabin in Wisconsin last March; the guys and I nearly went insane fleshing out the arrangement and its odd timings together. I wrote the lyrics during that original demoing trip, centered around the idea of a fantastic, rural vision-quest where the days and nights blend together and nothing is quite as it seems.”
The accompanying video, directed by Nuccio, was filmed at a sprawling farm in Central Illinois. “We used a bunch of DV cameras to convene with some benevolent rock and roll ghosts we met along the way,” says Steiner.
In early 2026, Ratboys will embark on a tour across North America. A full list of shows can be found below and tickets are on sale this Friday at 10am ET.
Ratboys Tour Dates
Wed. Feb. 25 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Thu. Feb. 26 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace ~
Fri. Feb. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB ~
Sat. Feb. 28 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ~
Tue. March 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ~
Thu. March 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~
Fri. March 6 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ~
Sat. March 7 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry ~
Sun. March 8 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall ~
Tue. March 10 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle ~
Wed. March 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West ~
Thu. March 12 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ~
Fri. March 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar ~
Sat. March 14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
Tue. March 24 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway •
Wed. March 25 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar •
Thu. March 26 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge •
Fri. March 27 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada •
Sat. March 28 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk •
Mon. March 30 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad •
Tue. March 31 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar •
Wed. April 1 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar •
Fri. April 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom •
Sat. April 4 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall •
Mon. April 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret •
Tue. April 7 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos •
Wed. April 8 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater •
Fri. April 10 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club •
Sat. April 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge •
Mon. April 13 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater •
Wed. April 15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room •
Thu. April 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line •
Fri. April 17 – Madison, WI @ Atwood Music Hall •
Sat. April 18 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre +
~ w/ Florry • w/ villagerrr + w/ Free Range
