Rating: 9/10
Albums like these are the reason why it’s important to not view music as mere entertainment. Though it is nice to use it as a form of escapism, sometimes we need something to reflect the harsh realities of life. Music to make you stop and ask “What the fuck are we doing?!” Genocide, climate change, AI, and a mundane existence living under the boot of capitalism are all topics many artists with a platform fail to acknowledge for fear of pissing off the wrong people and losing their livelihood. In a way, I can’t blame them. The threat of losing it all for simply speaking out against the norm must be terrifying, but that is the very thing that further perpetuates a system that only benefits the rich and privileged, while the less fortunate live in fear and uncertainty. At some point you gotta wake up. Though most of us aren’t going to lead a revolution, it is nice when a band like “Chat Pile” externalizes every frustration we feel.
What is Chat Pile? Are they Metal? Well, they’re definitely heavy. They definitely blend various forms of challenging music such as Sludge Metal, Pigfuck, Noise Rock, Gothic Rock, Industrial, and Nu Metal, but simply calling their music Metal, or any of the genres I just mentioned doesn’t sum up their sound. At the end of the day, they’re fucking Chat Pile. Plain and simple. Their music sounds like four dudes from Oklahoma got together and made some noise, and this noise is so damn good! It’s unhinged, it’s anxious, it’s filled with existential dread, but it grooves like early “Korn” and it’s heavily cathartic. Their new album Who Loves The Sun is their thesis statement.
Serving as both a reference to “The Velvet Underground,” and commentary on climate change, Who Loves The Sun captures the anxiety and frustration that is brought on by late-stage capitalism, social disconnect, the state of surveillance, and environmental damage, but instead of wagging his finger or indulging in corny sloganeering, lead singer Raygun Busch expresses pure frustration with a very manic, anxious, and at times terrifying delivery that can make anyone feel uneasy, and that’s the point. It’s not just a cliché to say “everything is fucked,” because everything really is fucked, and if there’s going to be music that reflects our frightening reality, it’s going to be very ugly. However, believe it or not, this music isn’t all pessimistic, because underneath the very bleak and somber nature of this album, there’s optimism to be found, and that optimism lies in catharsis, because after that release of frustration and anger, it’s nice to know you’re not the only one that feels this way, which inspires a hopeful attitude and may even prompt someone to take a positive action. After tracks that tackle themes such as workplace degradation, (PEN I S MALL), digital alienation, (Deep Blue), and character-driven Horror stories, (Intruder), (Family Funeral), the album ends on the notion that everything will be fine on the track “October All the Time.” However, does Raygun truly believe this, or is he just trying to convince himself? There’s no clear answer, just like there’s no clear answer to the question “are we going to be okay?” I guess we just have to try to keep smiling through this shit show.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Who Loves The Sun: https://chatpile.bandcamp.com/album/who-loves-the-sun
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