Oklahoma City heavy metallers Chat Pile released to the world their fourth album on 4th September, a leviathan of an album which is lttered with pile driving riffage, cautionary tales with stark and maniachal themes of modernity, unleashing these angst ridden songs while simulaneously channeling an inner calm in a search for the answers to civilisational disdian, inequality, frustration and anger of a growing police state which is in direct opposition to a functioning democracy. It laughs in the faces of the mediocre and predictable, a no holds barred appraisal and thought provoking LP.
“Who Loves the Sun” packs a sludge punch, it’s just as enchanting, grinding and massively sounding as their previous efforts but this latest offering has more bite and takes the listener off road, bring beers and an attentive ear.
Easing in to the album with the opening song Creature is a cataclysmic song that invites you in to the deeper songs that follow, with Deep Blue next up – this one of the songs that Chat Pile had released as a teaser single echoing societal collapse, slowing things down the album takes a pause for reflection, following up with Same Rules that begs the question about equality and of everyone abiding to the same rules and struggling how to cope with the deeply divided unfairness we live in,
Next track is the absolutely huge Pen I S Mall. Raygun Busch ploughs every ounce of his human spirit in to this song in lockstep with Stin on bass, Luthier Manhole on guitar and Cap’n Ron on drums – it is an anahilation on the senses and is phenomenal to experince being performed live. With noone seemingly knowing how to prounce or interpret the title of the song the band have had fun with fans trying to figure out this track, its subjective to the listener. My Pen IS Small, Pen In Some Mall, PENIS Small who knows but it would appear theres an element of unfairness of Ray being told off for reading books where he shouldnt be. Raygun had said that this song was challening to put together and with the effort exerted by him its easy to agree with, this song drives deep and will be highly in demand by crowd goers..
Intruder – about Jealousy and comparing ones self and being disappointed at the cards that they were dealt with
Christabel ‘26 is about submission to the machine, how the machine of society is so dehumanising and wants everyones blood and your families, to become lifeless and thoughtless, being a part of a system where there is no way to escape, a slow burner of a song that builds in ferocity and frustration. The slow progression of vocals and guitars sounds almost as if people are shackled and are physically pulling the song along, a real emotive song.
Influence is a cautionary tale of doom-scolling, a self induced labotomy of forgetting what its like to have a soul and be human, and of the new zombie apocalypse is upon us, of how society is curated and desensitied to atrocities and the trauma of the misery of others, technology as a tool is killing the innnocence and robbing children of the best days of their lives all because of the dopamine hit of screens and technology. Get our on your bikes and go explore. Laden with plunging basslines, cliff edge vocals and harmonies.
This segways in to the next track Family Funeral, love and life of feelings of being trapped in a self made prison and the disappointment of losing loved ones, giving everything only to recieve nothing in return, a sense of understanding and frustration and anger boil.
October All The Time closes the album with a kind calmness and reassuring message, with guitars slowly building in intensity met with a knowing that everything will be fine, and that we all move in circles, with October featuring as the beginning of the harvest marking the end of the productive year where the nights draw in and coldness is all around, at least for those in the northern hemisphere. With slow subtleties and a warmth that is calming, perfect if you had been driving playing this album.This song draws you in back to a sense of humanity, perhaps as a way to undo the damage of people losing their identiy with the natural world around them. a beautiful song.
The album was mixed and mastered by Ben Greenberg at Circcular Ruin Studios.
Who Loves The Sun takes aim at inequality, love found and lost, abandonment, climate change, the dark disconnect of reality and of first world problems of politicians, societal divisions and being at the mercy of malign technology and the idolitry of those monopolies.
It would seem all we have is the here and now and Chat Pile are here to make the best of things and lead us the way through tough times, a sensationally brilliant album.
Tracklist
- Creature
- Deep Blue
- Same Rules
- PEN I S MALL
- Shrine
- Intruder
- Christabel ‘26
- Influence
- Family Funeral
- October All the Time
