Ratboys - "Penny in the Lake"

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Photo by Z Marciniak

We've been watching Ratboys grow as artists for a number of years now, and we're thrilled to say that their latest single showcases how great they've gotten. "Penny in the Lake" might be the epitome of modern day alt-country. It mixes plenty of twang with a rock edge to it. It's laid back while still being intense, and it's as catchy as it could possibly be. The song is a perfect balance of killer guitars and Julia Steiner's engaging vocals and lyrics. Ratboys aren't breaking new ground with "Penny in the Lake." This is the kind of song they've been doing for years, they've just perfected it this time around. If you haven't discovered Ratboys yet, but love artists like Drive-By Truckers, Wilco, and Lucinda Williams, "Penny in the Lake" could become your favorite song of 2026.

Julia Steiner says of her band's latest single:

“I wrote this song on a sunny summer day while sitting outside in my backyard, and then we recorded the album version up at the Driftless Cabin in Wisconsin, about as close to nature as we could get. We wanted everything to feel live and loose, and we chose to leave the final recording as unadorned as possible. Chris [Walla] dubbed this approach ‘photographic realism,’ and I love to think of the song that way, as a snapshot of our band in a room playing a song together, living in the moment and having a great time.”

You can watch the video for "Penny in the Lake" below. Singin' to an Empty Chair is due out February 6 on New West Records, and is available to pre-order here. For more on Ratboys, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include February 28 at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA.


Wed. Feb. 25 - Detroit, MI @ El Club ~
Thu. Feb. 26 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace ~ LOW TICKETS
Fri. Feb. 27 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB ~
Sat. Feb. 28 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ~ SOLD OUT
Sun. March 1 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom ~
Tue. March 3 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ~ SOLD OUT
Thu. March 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~ LOW TICKETS
Fri. March 6 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ~
Sat. March 7 - Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry ~
Sun. March 8 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall ~ LOW TICKETS
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 +
Sun. 10 May - Copenhagen, DK @ Stengade
Tue. 12 May - Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Wed. 13 May - Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain
Fri. 15 May - Diest, BE @ JH Tijl
Sat. 16 May - Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Festival
Sun. 17 May - The Hague, NL @ Paard
Mon. 18 May - Paris, FR @ Le Chinois
Wed. 20 May - Southampton, UK @ Joiners
Thu. 21 May - London, UK @ The Garage (Footsteps Festival)
Fri. 22 May - Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall
Sat. 23 May - Bristol, UK @ Dot To Dot Festival
Sun. 24 May - Nottingham, UK @ Dot To Dot Festival
Tue. 26 May - Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social
Thu. 28 May - Glasgow, UK @ Mono
Fri. 29 May - Manchester, UK @ YES

~ w/ Florry   • w/ villagerrr   + w/ Free Range

On Repeat...

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