Oklahoma City’s noise-rock stalwarts Chat Pile are back, continuing their prolific run of output that has defined their trajectory since their mid-pandemic rise. Following last year’s collaborative project with Hayden Pedigo, In The Earth Again, and a recent Sub Pop single featuring a cover of Nirvana’s “Sifting,” the band has officially announced their next full-length studio album, Who Loves The Sun.
The upcoming record serves as the follow-up to 2024’s Cool World. True to their DIY ethos, the band recorded the project themselves, with bassist Stin receiving particular praise for his production contributions. The album will be released via The Flenser, and its cover art continues the band’s tradition of highlighting iconic, decaying structures in their hometown—this time featuring the largely vacant Devon Tower. The record also features guest vocal contributions from Nightosphere’s Claire Hannah and Brittany Sawtelle.
Frontman Raygun Busch, now performing under the moniker Ray B, describes the album as a direct response to the anxieties of the modern era. “This record focuses on my grievances with the modern world. AI, genocide, climate change, the power elite, $$$$ hoarding pigs—all that shit fucks up your life and mine,” he stated. “The band is definitely stretching out their abilities on the album, and I too felt inspired to go further.”
This album contains a healthy dose of the usual Chat Pile airing of grievances against the state of the world, but deeper at it’s heart I feel Who Loves The Sun is grappling with the challenges of trying to keep one’s humanity in a time of extreme anti-humanity.
The lead single, “Deep Blue,” offers a glimpse into this thematic landscape. Described as a “scrawled lament” about the isolating nature of digital life, the track expands on the band’s signature queasy, melodic sensibilities. Stin notes that the track was the first written for the album, effectively setting the tone for the entire project, jokingly comparing their sound to a “Billy Squire song” filtered through their own unique lens.
Chat Pile will support the release with an extensive tour schedule, including dates across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America, with support from acts like Soul Glo, Ragana, and others. Who Loves The Sun is set for release on September 4th via The Flenser.
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