Listening to Pile can feel like a tug-of-war, the push/pull of their dynamic tension and release possessing an uncanny ability to cozy you up just before it blows your headphones off. This writer felt the full power of their Piledriver (alas, I am ashamed) when standing a bit too close to the stage right speaker, trying to snag a pic of the band from a cool angle.
On their new record All Fiction, which came out on February 17th via Exploding in Sound, they still feel like the Pile we know and love, but with everything just pumped that much further up to 11. It stands as a testament to the longevity of Pile’s quality that they are still able to rip it up with such vitality. If you said that All Fiction is already your favorite Pile record after less than a month, even the longtime die-hards would probably think, hey that’s valid.
And so how did the band decide to roll out this new record? By kicking off a slew of performances with a record release show at Arts at the Armory in Somerville. A frigid, snow-threatening evening didn’t stop the crowd from showing up in full. It was a locals only type of night, as the hometown heroes were joined by Mal Devisa, who started playing as the house was filling up. It was especially great to get the chance to see her, as live appearances haven’t been common for her of late. With a minimal setup of a microphone, bass guitar, kick drum, and loop pedal, she finds no challenge in maximizing her sound to fit a space. Utilizing a fingerpicking method for her bass playing really highlights her unique sound, which nestles itself in between indie rock, soul, gospel, and a rap verse thrown in every now and then for good measure.
Once Pile took over, the crowd was pretty eager to get their shit absolutely wrecked. While a small, reasonable pit opened up towards the end of the show – roughly the last five to seven songs – the audience remained pretty content to stand in awe and get floored by sound. Though the band burnt through a 19 song set, the night never dragged. They managed to slide in every track off All Fiction, plus threw in selections from A Hairshirt of Purpose, Magic Isn’t Real, Jerk Routine, and Demonstration. Rick Maguire, Alex Molini, and Kris Kuss are pretty tight at this point when it comes to matching each other’s pace and energy. Based on the results that they’ve presented to us with All Fiction, it feels like Pile are not running out of ideas on how to keep things fresh for us.
Unrelated to the actual performance, the Armory is a fantastic space. They regularly have all manner of performances – musical or otherwise – plus a decent size room with solid sound system. What a great choice of venue for this gig.
Be sure to check out All Fiction by Pile on all streaming platforms and available for purchase on bandcamp.
