An Interview With: Chat Pile

Converging on an aesthetic akin to the most powerful elements of life, Oklohoma's own Chat Pile capture a sound that is hard to define without the words 'vigorous' and 'meaty' being thrown into the equation. After releasing two brutal EP's by the names of 'This Dungeon Earth' and 'Remove Your Skin Please' in 2019, enough momentum, potential, and buzz around the band earned them a spot on The Flenser label in September of 2020.

One year removed from signing with The Flenser a full length was announced by the title of 'God's Country'.

Could 2022 be the year that Chat Pile make their first full length appearance on the scene?

I had the lovely opportunity to have a brief but insightful chat with Chat Pile bassist Stin.

Peter: With your debut album 'God's Country' on the way, how does it feel to be on the brink of releasing your first full length?

Stin: We’ve all been feeling incredibly antsy as we wait for everyone to hear this thing! We wrapped up the recording back in August of 2021, but vinyl production issues and other forces beyond our control have kept it in limbo up until now. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created and hope it resonates with people.

Peter: How has signing with The Flenser changed/influenced your process? Has it at all?

Stin: I’m not sure it’s done a whole lot to change our process aside from maybe boosting our confidence and desire to play out more. It’s also helped expand our connections with like-minded artists in different parts of the world. Otherwise it’s pretty much business as usual around here. We write the kind of music we’d like to hear and we don’t change anything based upon a perceived audience. We know what we want to say and how we want to say it and that’s pretty much it.

Peter: Do you set out with the intention to make grueling music, or are the results a by-product of your process/mindsets?

Stin: We certainly want to be subversive in many ways, but honestly I feel like we’re so much more accessible than a lot of extreme music out there. We use very traditional song structures and incorporate a lot of melody into each of our songs as opposed to say your traditional grindcore band. That said, what you hear is very much a result of four people melding some very disparate influences together and bringing their unique perspective and style into the mix without a whole lot of input from the other members. Our cruddy self-production may also have a lot to do with the grueling quality of our sound!

Peter: Outside of music, what are the things you turn to to scratch that inevitable itch?

Stin: I like to hike and be in nature. I’m also a thrift and antique store freak. I read with semi-frequency. Podcasts. Typical boring guy stuff.

Peter: Can you name three albums that your fans should hear to gain a better understanding of your musical influences. Why do you choose these three in particular?

Stin: So I can only speak for myself here of course, but here are the three albums that most guide my contributions to the band: 

Korn - “Korn” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITpa_7uo82E

Head of David - “White Elephant” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmkpyHdkV_E

Godflesh - “Godflesh” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t81dxaCDpIA

I think the throughline these albums share (that ultimately bleed into Chat Pile) are a murky, rhythmic (funky?) quality that utilizes repetition and simplicity to a truly effective degree. The result sounds alien and dark while also making you want to nod along. Korn obviously brings more of a traditional songcraft to the table that the other two albums don’t bother with as much, which I feel like we definitely lean into.

It’s probably worth noting that our new album brings a lot of 80s Sonic Youth influence to the table as well. 

Peter: Where do you find the inspiration to create?

Stin: The real world - especially day to day life in Oklahoma City - provides plenty of despair to keep the ol’ Chat Pile inspiration well full. But aside from that I think we’re all just unconsciously driven to create and express ourselves in some form or fashion. The band is a nice outlet for that.

Peter: And finally, is there a plan for the future? Or is it more of a take it as it comes type thing?

Stin: Due to our real lives outside of Chat Pile, we’re very much forced to take everything as it comes these days. We’re not in a real position to be on the road for any extended periods of time or anything like that. We’ve decided that we’re just going to spend time together as friends when we can and write and release music at our own pace. We’ve got a ton of song ideas floating around and we’ve been slowly piecing new stuff together. Hope for album number two in four to six years!