It was recorded at a cabin in the “driftless area” of southwestern Wisconsin, a region that sounds foreboding on paper but in reality is a scenic landscape composed of green rolling hills, lakes loaded with pontoon boats, and small towns outfitted with bountiful go-kart tracks and drive-in burger places. Which explains why Empty Chair (at least musically) is hardly a Bon Iver-esque isolationist downer, but rather a sonic expansion of Ratboys’ usual mix of crunchy emo-pop and punky alt-country. The music contrasts with Steiner’s introspective lyrics, which dwell on the challenges of interpersonal communication while veering into therapy-speak. (The title alludes to a psychiatric exercise in which a patient speaks to an imagined person.) Steiner had an unnamed estranged loved one in mind when she was writing songs like the album’s eight-minute centerpiece “Just Want You To Know The Truth,” where she seems to address a family member: “Once you left home / we cleaned out the house / came upon some skeleton / tha…