Review: Ratboys – Singin’ To An Empty Chair

There’s a lot to love about the direction Ratboys took on Singin’ To An Empty Chair, the Chicago-based indie pop band’s sixth studio album. While the title of the record and artwork seem to imply that there’s an element missing, instead it is the beginning of an important dialogue with a close loved one lead vocalist Julia Steiner finds herself estranged from. Singin’ to an Empty Chair also marks the first Ratboys album written since Steiner began therapy, which the singer/lyricist credits for the clarity found in the lyrical material that is a vivid investigation of self-reflection and the importance of healthy relationships. While some of these conversations had within Singin’ To An Empty Chair may feel difficult, messy, or at times even bleak, Ratboys take it all in stride and leave signs of hope and clarity in the end. “It’s not all doom and gloom,” Steiner says. “The experience of making this record definitely gives me hope for whatever happens next.” By putting her full self into this album, Steiner and her bandmates live up to the hype surrounding this band that continues to get better on each release. If The Window was Ratboys telling the world, “We’ve arrived,” Singin’ To An Empty Chair emphatically states, “We’re here to stay.” I promise it will be worth the visit, and this wonderful record exceeded all of my expectations.

Adam Grundy 4 months ago

I had almost made peace with the fact that The Format would likely never make music again. The statement put out by the band on February 4, 2008 hit like a gut-punch from one of my favorite indie bands of all time, and now, almost 18 years to the exact day of the indefinite hiatus, The Format have returned. The roadmap that led to The Format making new music featured a few detours. fun. had formed shortly after the announced hiatus and would make a household name of vocalist Nate Ruess, and earn him his first Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the unstoppable “We Are Young.” The Format’s other half, Sam Means, would release a solo album called 10 Songs (which is definitely worth a listen if you never checked it out), while he watched his bandmate blossom in fun., and Nate’s own solo album entitled Grand Romantic. Much like the Interventions + Lullabies song of “On Your Porch,” Sam Means and Nate Ruess have always been drawn to making music together. The lyrics of, “So, now here I sit in a hotel off of Sunset / My thoughts bounce off of Sam’s guitar / And that’s the way it’s been / Ever since we were kids, but now / Now we’ve got something to prove,” feel a bit more emphatic now that The Format have reunited and released their third studio album of Boycott Heaven. Nate mentioned that he started to teach himself guitar during the pandemic, which seemed to unlock a key ingredient in the catalyst that brought him back to Sam. Shortly after the band had planned to reunite for a few returning shows, they re-discovered their love of creating art together, and I’m so happy The Format are back in full swing now.

Adam Grundy 4 months ago

The aptly titled ninth studio album from ska-punk legends, Goldfinger, features a litany of guest spots and a recharged, yet reflective sound from the band that is releasing their first taste of new music since 2020. Nine Lives was produced by band leader and scene stalwart, John Feldmann, who rounds out this era of Goldfinger with a powerhouse lineup of Charlie Paulson (guitar), Mike Herrera (bass), Nick Gross (drums), and Moon Valjean (guitar). The set was preceded by two great singles in “Freaking Out A Bit”, that featured Mark Hoppus, and “Chasing Amy.” The result is a pleasing collection of songs that showcase Goldfinger show little signs of slowing down and hit the listener with a blast of Summer vibes.

Adam Grundy 4 months ago

On the surface, Lights and Sounds had all the makings of a big rock record. Yellowcard paired up with a trusted producer in Neal Avron, who also worked with the band on their breakthrough, Ocean Avenue. The album had an incredible lead single out of the gate with the aggressive title track, and was mixed by veteran Tom Lord-Alge. What left fans most perplexed by what their heard from Yellowcard was the near abandonment of the sound that made the band a household name with Ocean Avenue. Instead, Yellowcard leaned into a darker-tinged alternative rock approach to their music that led to a bit of confusion and lukewarm critical reviews of the material. Lights and Sounds would debut at number five on the Billboard 200 charts, and would eventually achieve Gold certification from the RIAA in March of 2006. My memories surrounding this particular album were the polarizing affect it had on Yellowcard’s trajectory as an artist, how it would lead to confusion in the band’s fanbase, and then the biggest of swings back in the right direction with the 2007 successor of Paper Walls. At the end of the recording process, lead guitarist Ben Harper would leave the band and would be replaced with the now-permanent member of Yellowcard, Ryan Mendez. This rollercoaster of emotions surrounding Lights and Sounds would’ve been enough to break the spirit and desire of most bands, but luckily for us, Yellowcard would take this detour in stride and rise once again.

Adam Grundy 5 months ago

Greywind is the brother and sister duo of Steph and Paul O’Sullivan, and they prove that emo was never just a phase on Severed Heart City. Their latest full-length record was produced by Sam Guaiana (Neck Deep, Silverstein), and features a very professional sound, rich with big hooks and solid musicianship all around. When I last chatted with Greywind, the band shared, “We’ve always wanted to create our own world that people can escape into. Severed Heart City is basically what we went through in the last few years after being dropped <by a record label> to losing family members to health issues It’s a lot of all of that pain. But then it has the positive of, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” While their last EP of Antidote was the band figuring out what worked well in their sound, Severed Heart City finds Greywind at their most confident, and they are successful at fulfilling their most complete vision for their music.

Adam Grundy 5 months ago

During an interview in mid-2015, Panic! At The Disco leader, Brendon Urie, was asked what his next record sounded like. Urie replied, “It’s going to be a little bit different, it’s this mix between Sinatra and Queen, if that makes any sense…Every time we do a new album, for me, it’s always evolving and changing—in the best way.” Death of a Bachelor does have a little bit of everything going for it, including four solid singles that preceded the album release in January of 2016, and the summary of Frank Sinatra meets Queen does sound about right looking back on the record’s 10th anniversary. Urie was already breaking out in a big way as a solo star as more and more band members took steps away from the spotlight, but Death of a Bachelor was technically the first album completely written, recorded, and performed by Urie. Armed with a trio of producers in Jake Sinclair, J.R. Rotem, and Imad Royal, Urie leaned heavily upon his vocal prowess to make for another standout moment in his trajectory as an artist. Brendon Urie’s solo star burns brightest on Death of a Bachelor, and it remains one of the clearest realizations of his vision for Panic! At The Disco’s music.

Adam Grundy Nov 24, 2025

The first new music from Hit The Lights in nearly a decade, called Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt, is a solid collection of four songs that highlight the band’s slick approach to pop-punk. Released in part as a tribute to their bandmate Kyle Maite, who tragically died in September 2022, Hit The Lights do their best to honor their past legacy while leaving the door open for where they could go next if they continue to march on. The set features two guest spots, the opener has guest vocals from Jay Pepito and the third track features Hit The Lights’ original vocalist Colin Ross. While the band doesn’t cover too much new ground on this EP, there’s still plenty to enjoy in these songs that will hopefully rejuvenate Hit The Lights in making even more new music soon.

Adam Grundy Nov 21, 2025

The latest taste of music from Spanish Love Songs, called A Brief Intermission in the Flattening of Time, is a guest-heavy, moody and reflective romp of well-written songs. The set was collaborated with producer Arun Bali, and each of these vibrant tracks feature a guest artist/friend of the band. On the key song of “Cocaine & Lexapro” that features Kevin Devine, frontman and guitarist Dylan Slocum shared, “I’ve been trying to work with Kevin for a while now. We have a good number of mutual friends but had never met up until this. The reasoning was simple — our band doesn’t exist without Kevin Devine, so when he agreed to sing on a song, he got to sing on a song. He took what I had demoed as an angry, contrarian second verse and turned it into something delicate and full of pathos. It absolutely floored me the first time I heard his vocal tracks dropped in.” By working with four great artists on this EP, Spanish Love Songs reinvigorate their passion for writing songs filled with uncertainty in the days that lie ahead of us, but with a beating heart of hope that things can and will get better.

Adam Grundy Nov 7, 2025

Sometimes you discover a band that makes everything else you’ve been listening to seem almost obsolete. I got that exact feeling the first time I heard The EXOHs vibrant single called “Soarin'”, that ended up being my favorite song released all of this year. The band, which is comprised of Chris Canberg & Michael Perdichizzi, is well on their way towards making a name for themselves on this shimmering collection of four songs known as Light of the Moon. Music is intended to make us feel one thing or another, and The EXOHs latest music makes me feel like anything is possible. With a sound that fits somewhere in the same realm as The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The EXOHs have taken the next dramatic leap in their artistic development on Light of the Moon.

Adam Grundy Nov 7, 2025

The MTV Unplugged series is pretty legendary in its own right, with memorable and iconic performances from bands like Nirvana and Alice In Chains setting a high bar for others to try and reach for. Originally recorded at Brooklyn’s Howard Gilman Opera House on Valentine’s Day in 1995, The Cranberries’ MTV Unplugged session is finally getting a widespread and official release. The magic of the late-vocalist Dolores O’ Riordan, and her band’s performance in The Cranberries, is finally getting its proper day in the limelight with this stunning 9-track collection released today. You probably know all the songs by heart; from the vulnerable “Linger”, to the visceral delivery of “Zombie”, The Cranberries had a knack for writing legendary songs during the mid to late 90’s. The MTV Unplugged series continues to live on with grace on this ultra-memorable performance from The Cranberries.

Adam Grundy Oct 31, 2025

Coming off of their critically acclaimed last record of We Are In This Together, Susong have returned with a vibrant new EP, called matae, which means “to give up”. In contrast to their opening statement of coming together, Michael and Matt Susong explore the depths of the concept of surrendering, while still building a community of getting artists to collaborate together. Pablo Vega (The Workshop) engineered and mixed the new EP, while Thomas Gleaner designed the artwork. On this 4-song EP, Susong not only expanded upon the feelings of letting go but they also created a world filled with hope and wonder.

Adam Grundy Oct 28, 2025

Originally started as a solo project by guitarist/vocalist Anthony Truzzolino, Tired Radio has returned with Hope in the Haze, an album that finds Truzzolino navigating through the darkness to find a way out. He shared, “We’re about to release this new record that was written at the darkest point of my existence, and I’m nervous for people to hear because it’s all the dark parts of Tired Radio and none of the levity. Very heavy musically and lyrically.” The raspy voice of Truzzolino works well to match the pain that he feels on key songs like “D.R.E.A.M. (Depression Ruins Everything Around Me)”, as Tired Radio finds ways to accelerate their development as a full-fledged band. Produced and engineered by Gary Cioni (Hot Mulligan) with some additional production contributed by Matt Weber (Sweet Pill), Hope in the Haze paints a picture of a person at rock bottom, yet willing to claw their way back to the top. I promise it’s worth the journey, and it’s easy to root for Tired Radio’s breakthrough.

Adam Grundy Oct 27, 2025

There’s something pretty magical about Taylor Acorn. Could it be her knack for writing big pop-punk hooks that drew me into her music in the first place? Perhaps. Maybe it’s her ability to connect with relatable themes such as growing up, nostalgia, and fractured relationships that makes her musical case that much more compelling. Taylor Acorn has everything you’d want in a rising songwriter/performer, and she puts it all on full display on her sophomore record called Poster Child. “This record feels very personal but it feels nostalgic at the same time,” Acorn shares about the lyrical theme of Poster Child. “I feel like some songs are kind of on the angry side and are very vulnerable, but there’s also a lot of songs that made me feel really nostalgic for my childhood where you could go to the Warped Tour as a 15-year-old and there’s no worries about that.” By connecting to her past, while still moving her songwriting forward in exciting new directions, Acorn has all the makings of a star burning its brightest at the right moment in time.

Adam Grundy Oct 21, 2025

While I have been aware of the artist known as Yungblud for awhile, I honestly never took the time to dive deeper into his discography until now. What I found, when I dove into his latest work, is an artist willing to take big risks in favor of achieving the ultimate reward. Yungblud self-described his fourth studio album of Idols as “a project with no limitations.” It’s easy to see where this pays off on this LP that is brimming with rockstar swagger and great songwriting. Produced alongside longtime Yungblud collaborator/writer, Matt Schwartz, and coming off marquee moments in his career such as an Ozzy Osbourne tribute and a newly announced EP with members of Aerosmith, Idols proves that this young artist has truly arrived and is ready for his moment.

The ambitious record opens with a sprawling nine-minute single of “Hello Heaven, Hello” that takes the listener on a picturesque journey through rock n’ roll lore, and sets the tone for the rest of the great material that follows. The opening lyrics of, “Hello, are you out there? / Are you trying? Are you patient? / Are you blind? / Are you with me? Against me? / Don’t know me at all,” finds Yungblud asking his audience if they’re ready to take this journey with him that plays out like a love letter to classic rock records such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Comparisons aside, the opus of an opening statement comes across really well, and it’s a brash way of starting a record that doesn’t conform to industry norms or “rules.”

Adam Grundy Oct 21, 2025

Many people don’t know how just how close All Time Low were from walking away from the music scene. After a dark cloud surrounded the band shortly after the release of Wake Up, Sunshine regarding allegations of misconduct, there was a bit of uncertainty of how or if All Time Low could move forward. After the allegations were deemed to be fabricated, the band decided to move forward with the release of their ninth studio album, Tell Me I’m Alive and a re-recording of their earlier material called Forever Sessions Volume 1 in hopes of rekindling their love for making music together. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band shared that this period, “…was at a time when I think we weren’t sure if we wanted to make another album. I think maybe you do this long enough and you’re like, ‘Maybe we’ve told the story. Maybe we’ve said all that needed to be said, and maybe there’s not much left for us to say.’ But we’ve had this newfound sense of belonging to the band and this love for it that was rekindled, and we said, ‘I think there’s another one in the tank.’ It’s a good thing that All Time Low decided to regroup, as Everyone’s Talking! ends up being some of the band’s best material to date.

Review: Ratboys – Singin’ To An Empty Chair

Review: The Format – Boycott Heaven

Review: Goldfinger – Nine Lives

Review: Yellowcard – Lights and Sounds

Review: Greywind – Severed Heart City

Review: Panic! At The Disco – Death of a Bachelor

Review: Hit The Lights – Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt

Review: Spanish Love Songs – A Brief Intermission In The Flattening Of Time

Review: The EXOHs – Light Of The Moon

Review: The Cranberries – MTV Unplugged

Review: Susong – matae

Review: Tired Radio – Hope In The Haze

Review: Taylor Acorn – Poster Child

Review: Yungblud – Idols

Review: All Time Low – Everyone’s Talking!