Chat Pile’s catalog runs tandem with an onslaught of debilitating emotions — despair, revolt, the full horror of taking a look at a burning world. However once they caught up with AP in 2024, they boiled it all the way down to an acutely easy ethos: It’s music meant to get the room transferring. “There’s all this speak about, ‘Oh, Chat Pile are these harrowing nightmare dystopia grim suicide music,’” bassist Stin identified. “Nicely, we additionally fucking rock. You may mosh to those songs, and you’ll nod your head alongside, however no person mentions that. They’ll evaluate us to Swans till the solar goes down, however we’re nearer to Van Halen, for my part, within the sense that there’s construction and it’s catchy.”
In that vein, Who Loves the Solar, made after they completed touring with Fleshwater final fall, places a larger pop sensibility to the ugliness. Specifically, “AI, genocide, local weather change, the ability elite, $$$$ hoarding pigs — all that shit fucks up your life and mine,” vocalist Raygun Busch mentioned once they launched “Deep Blue” in June. In addition they take pleasure in a wider set of tastes, difficult themselves to go method out — trying to make a trip-hop track (“Similar Guidelines”), turning into their “most emo-sounding” selves (“Shrine”), and throwing it again to Busch’s days as a lo-fi singer-songwriter (“October All of the Time”).
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Talking to its throughline, Stin added, “This album comprises a wholesome dose of the standard Chat Pile airing of grievances towards the state of the world, however deeper at its coronary heart, I really feel Who Loves the Solar is grappling with the challenges of making an attempt to maintain one’s humanity in a time of utmost anti-humanity.” Under, he elaborates on the making of their heavy-hitting third full-length, monitor by monitor.
“Creature”
Somebody just lately advised us that “Creature” is probably the most Chat Pile-Chat Pile track, which I feel is true. Like, in the event you needed to ship one in all our songs to the aliens to elucidate to them what Chat Pile is, that is in all probability the track you’d ship. I’m undecided why we’d be a part of this intergalactic cultural trade, however I’m flattered to be included, and should I add, please don’t vaporize me together with your superior alien weaponry.
“Deep Blue”
I maintain saying that is like our model of a Billy Squier track as a result of it’s the closest we’ll ever get to an enormous clap-along arena-rock banger. Squier’s “Lonely is the Evening” is such an all-time FM radio jam, nevertheless it’s additionally probably the most blatant and silly Led Zeppelin rip-off — each issues will be true!
“Similar Guidelines”
We’d simply gotten off a tour with Fleshwater once we began writing and recording Who Loves the Solar. They’ve a track known as “Be Your Finest” that stood out to us of their set due to the laid-back, trip-hop nature of the track. All by way of the tour, Raygun saved difficult us to jot down a trip-hop track to see if we may do it, and that is what we got here up with. The quiet instrumental half was completely recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder by Luther Manhole, together with the very distinct-sounding bassline.
“PEN I S MALL”
The primary and more than likely final Chat Pile track to characteristic a nasty bong rip in the midst of it. That is in all probability the heaviest track of ours up to now, and I adore it as a result of it sounds prefer it could possibly be on The Nice Southern Trendkill.
“Shrine”
Chat Pile’s most emo-sounding track up to now? I’ve by no means been an enormous emo man myself, however I do love this track. It wins the award for “Chat Pile Bassline with the Most Notes in It,” which up thus far has been a particularly straightforward award to win.
“Intruder”
The unique demo for this track sounded prefer it could possibly be a laid-back Pavement track or one thing (the working title being Slacker Rock), however as soon as it made the rounds by way of the Chat Pile grinder, changed into the high-tension post-punk track it’s at the moment. That is with out query the toughest track of ours to play and actually stretches the boundaries of our meager technical talents.
“Christabel ‘26”
I’m in all probability the one one who hears it, however I really feel like that is the closest we’ll ever get to doing a Candlemass track. Wait, by no means thoughts, I’ve determined proper now that we have to write a track that sounds far more like Candlemass. Look ahead to that coming quickly to no matter we do subsequent.
“Affect”
We’ve been eager to group up with our good pals in Nightosphere without end, and the chance introduced itself once they simply so occurred to play a present in Oklahoma Metropolis in the course of the recording of Who Loves the Solar. I had them crash at my place (which is the place we document all Chat Pile releases), and whereas there, Claire and Britney did backing vocals on the hooks for this track and Intruder. The hair on my arms was standing on finish the entire time as I heard their voices within the playback — it was an unbelievable second! I’ve very fond recollections of kicking the hacky sack round with them and the remainder of the Chat Pile guys in between takes.
“Household Funeral”
We actually needed to have not less than one nonlinear monitor on this album that will eschew the verse-chorus-verse construction that we’ve develop into fairly good at writing. As counterintuitive as it could appear, it’s a lot tougher to jot down a track that doesn’t have rapid pop attraction. As such, this was the track that took the longest to place collectively, with dozens of structural iterations being put collectively over months of forwards and backwards. Raygun had a minor “What the hell am I purported to do with this?” response once we turned it over for vocals, however he stepped as much as the problem, and I feel this may go towards the highest of our favourite Chat Pile songs.
“October All of the Time”
Most individuals don’t know this, however previous to his time in Chat Pile, Raygun had launched dozens of lo-fi experimental indie singer-songwriter albums over the span of 20 years or so. That is really an previous track of his that appeared to work rather well with the themes of the document and sonically put a bow on the tracklisting. Some individuals have been listening to a touch of optimism within the lyrics, however that couldn’t be farther from actuality.
