Beloved Sydney band Ratcat shocked fans in February when they teased that they could be back, sharing a photo from the studio. They captioned the image with a simple “We may or may not be planning … something! #StayTuned”.
Ratcat's last album, Easy Rider, was released in 1997—the band still intermittently tours, giving fans “unexpectedly good nights,” per Facebook.
Now we know what Ratcat were planning. After celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1991 second album, Blind Love, in 2021, the band had an idea: why not re-record the songs from that album and other favourites from the era and release an album of reconstructed, acoustic versions?
On Friday, 13 October, Ratcat will release All Stripped Back – their first release in 22 years and an album created two years in the making, following the Twisted Tails compilation. A ten-track version of the album will feature on the limited edition yellow-coloured vinyl, while the limited edition CD and digital versions (streaming services) will contain 12 songs.
All Stripped Back will be released via MGM Distribution and marks the band’s first voyage into lo-fi music territory, “experimenting with instrumentation resulting in this selection of reinterpreted classics,” a press release notes.
Ratcat frontman Simon Day commented, “All Stripped Back is a celebration of songs from the Ratcat archive. I wanted to experiment with producing and limit myself to acoustic instruments without FX so the songs could speak for themselves.”
You can pre-order your vinyl or CD copy of All Stripped Back here.
In addition to the release of All Stripped Back, Ratcat will perform a one-off release show at the Factory Theatre in Sydney on Friday, 8 December. Tickets to the show go on sale on Wednesday, 4 October, at 9 am sharp, with special guests to be announced. You can buy your tickets here.
RATCAT
Launching the new album All Stripped Back
Friday, 8 December 2023
2 Exclusive Sets + Special Guests TBA
FACTORY THEATRE - 105 Victoria Street, Marrickville, NSW
