Cool World is the second album from Chat Pile and sees them going from strength to strength expanding and furthering their brutal sound into a relentless and distinctive full body of work.

Release Date:  11^th October 2024

Label:  The Flenser  

Formats: CD / Vinyl / Digital

NOISE ROCK

Chat Pile are a noise rock and sludge metal outfit from Oklahoma City who have been generating noise and hype since 2019. The band are able to blend crushing riffs with wild, unrestrained vocals to create some of the most bizarre yet ferocious rock I’ve heard in a long time. Their influences range from the likes of Sonic Youth, The Jesus Lizard and Rage Against The Machine, which is evident in their music, however even with these influences they are able to create something truly original. I feel you could play pretty much any Chat Pile song, and it would be apparent right away who made it. Whether that’s through the aforementioned crazed vocals or the gorgeously produced drums which have such a deep and powerful tone, there’s no mistaking that Chat Pile are a one-of-a-kind group.

The band released their debut album entitled God’s Country in 2022 which was received with massive critical acclaim, finding itself on many ends of year lists across multiple different outlets. I had the pleasure to see Chat Pile live earlier this year at Outbreak Festival where they absolutely blew me away. In the live setting their music was able to reach another level of intensity leaving me ecstatic for whatever the band were to do next.  And that leads us to now, their second album Cool World is here, which begs the question, is it a worthy follow up to God’s Country?

COOL WORLD

Cool World opens with lead single I Am Dog Now; starting with an airy, almost heavenly atmosphere that gets quickly interrupted by the savage instrumentation and sound we have come to expect from Chat Pile. The vocals and lyrics from frontman Raygun Busch rank up there as some of the most quotable and heavy to date, bordering much closer metal than noise rock. The band themselves on an instrumental level provide one of their tightest grooves to date. I Am Dog Now is an amazing progression and reimagining of the sound set up from the band’s previous material. A perfect intro to the twisted world the album has in store.

Following on we get Shame which in my opinion is an even stronger and more interesting progression of the Chat Pile Sound. Shame sees the band delving into a more melodic approach on the whole yet with lyrics that depict harrowing situations in war. This track has some of the bands best songwriting to date with a chorus that could definitely be described as catchy. It’s much less heavy instrumentally than I Am Dog Now but overall is one of their heaviest songs from a lyrical standpoint.

TRACK AFTER TRACK OF BRILLIANCE

The album doesn’t stop there with track after track of brilliance. The following two songs Frownland and Funny Man are both highlights on the album. Starting with Frownland, the chorus on this track has some of my favourite guitar work I’ve heard in a Chat Pile song sounding devastating yet truly beautiful. This paired with the repeated screams of: “They don’t want to hear what I have to see” works perfectly to move the listener emotionally. It’s a clear example of how the band is able to work so well together as a unit, complimenting each other massively. The prolonged outro really lets the grooves of the track take the helm, infesting itself deep into the ears and mind of the listener in a way that is almost psychedelic. Personally, I didn’t want the song to end.

Funny Man is an absolute banger of a track. Another song that seems to lyrically detail the effects of war in such a powerful and immersive way. The lyrics in the second verse show this with the lines: “The wicked jester is dancing and clapping as my big strong hands kill the people they told me. There are times that I can almost believe it, I can almost imagine I was meant to do this and be here.” Not only is it a blistering banger but a really interesting song to delve into lyrically.

UNWAVERING QUALITY

As the record continues the quality does not falter at all. The New World is easily another highlight for me with it having a faster pace than most of the other tracks on the album. Calling it intense is an understatement with the track’s powerful angular guitar lines, driving blasting drums and overwhelming reign of beats and noise released towards the end. For me it’s the song that is the closest to replicate Chat Pile’s power in a live setting which I find glorious that they were able to capture on a recording. The repeated refrain of “Most are dragged kicking and screaming out” creates such a disturbing image that works so well with the relentless instrumental.

Masc is the following track and was my favourite single from the album prior to its release. Yet again this is a wonderful example of the evolution and experimentation of the band’s sound with one of their most anthemic choruses to date. The use of melody in this song is able to tap into a different type of emotion and feeling not seen before from Chat Pile in my opinion. Masc was a brilliant choice of single but works even better in the context of the album.

NO WAY OUT

Cool World closes with No Way Out, a song that maybe has my favourite opening lyrics on the entire album. It opens with: “From the time you were born it was over, dreams shattered on the ground. Back then I was a believer, a dreamer, I got nothing now.” The song continues the fantastic grooves and instrumentation that seem ramp up the intensity further and further as the song progresses. It’s a colossal track that feels like the result of all the pain and darkness explored in the record. No Way Out is a brutal, almost hopeless ending that perfectly finishes the album experience.

Cool World is not only another ferocious LP from Chat Pile but is a remarkable achievement in songwriting and furthering their sound. It takes the best parts of their previous work and pushes them to their limits. Cool World not only stands up against their debut God’s Country but actually excels and results in an even better finished product.

Here’s Masc:

Chat Pile: Website / Facebook / X / Instagram

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube