by Jess Makler (unslump.substack.com)
Pile’s ninth studio album and first through their new label, Sooper, reminds me of WWE. Both feral and rehearsed, the Boston-based veterans of slacker rock deliver a timeless album that chases you around the ring and throws you to the mat.
Formed in Boston nearly 20 years ago, the band proves that the passage of time brings with it enhanced creativity and brand new ideas. On Sunshine and Balance Beams, expect fuzz-laden guitar, crooning vocals and orchestral flourishes from Pile’s stellar lineup of Rick Maguire, Alex Molini, Kris Kuss and Matt Connery.
Prior to this latest release, Pile’s projects ran the gamut, from a collection of experimental cassette tapes to a fully improvisational noise album. Sunshine and Balance Beams is a welcome new addition to the catalogue. The album feels fully formed, cinematic and evokes disorienting rage akin to spinning in a circle, getting dizzy, and watching the room keep moving.
Tension builds through Molini’s rhythmic, strident basslines, the subtleties of Kuss’s brushwork on the drums, and unpredictable symphonic flourishes tie the whole project together. Despite the project’s relatively mellow tempo, the pacing stands out as each track can hold its own.
Standout tracks include “Born At Night,” where instrumentation seems to drop in and out, creating a mesmerizing arc and flow. “A Loosened Knot” is as dissonant as it is emotional, Molini’s bassline evoking a tower on the precipice of collapse. “Bouncing in Blue,” my personal favorite track, is a calming cacophony of symphonic strings that beautifully complements the band’s straightforward rock arrangements.
Despite being nine albums in, it feels like Pile is at the brink of something beautiful. As Macguire sings on “Uneasy”: “If the bottom’s already given out once, what’s stopping it from giving in again?”