Ratboys are preparing for the release of their third studio record Printer’s Devil at the end of the month. With their latest singles, Ratboys are transforming the poignant sensitivities on their latest record GN and turning up the volume. But with “Anj,” the band aims for somewhere between noisy and sincere.
With intricately layered riffs, vocalist Julia Steiner belts a story of platonic love through a bittersweet, pop-punk lense. “The day we met / I had a brand new heartbeat, twisting/ Its way through my chest / Humming like a silhouette in the dark,” Steiner sings with rising and falling inflection.
Steiner detailed the inspiration behind “Anj” in a statement, explaining the track chronicles an influential relationship with a babysitter.
“‘Anj’ is the first song we wrote for the record. It tells the story of my childhood babysitter, a woman named Angie (Anj for short) who watched my siblings and I while my parents worked full time. The verses recall little moments when she held me and comforted me when I was a tiny baby and then eventually as I grew into a small child. As time has passed and I’ve gotten older, I’ve kept in touch with Anj, and I’ve noticed our relationship changing. One time when we got together recently, she confided in me about some trauma she had experienced. It was a fundamental role reversal—she spoke to me not just as a fellow adult, but really she leaned on me for support and comfort in that moment. I did my best to listen and be there for her, to return the gesture of reassurance and love. And I think I needed to write this song to honor that experience. To say out loud for once and for all that I’m—that we’re—not alone.”
Listen to “Anj” above.
Printer’s Devil is out 2/28 via Topshelf Records. Pre-order it here.
