The sludgy noise rock band Chat Pile and the Fahey-esque guitarist Hayden Pedigo come together for a collaborative album that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts.
Across their two albums and a handful of EPs/other miscellaneous releases, Chat Pile have deservedly become one of the most loved sludgy, noise rock, Melvins/Jesus Lizard-style bands in recent memory. Hayden Pedigo, meanwhile, is a John Fahey-style, “American Primitivism” guitarist who started stirring up buzz in his late teens and early twenties, and who just this year (now at 31 years old) released his most acclaimed album yet with “I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Away”. Hayden grew up in West Texas but now lives in Oklahoma City, which Chat Pile also call home, and the two acts have put their heads together for a fully collaborative album, “In the Earth Again“.
“In The Earth Again” unravels new, yet-to-be-explored layers of complexity for Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo’s artistic visions. Despite their works occupying what seems like completely opposite ends of the genre and tonal spectrum, Pedigo and Chat Pile’s Captain Ron, Luther Manhole, Raygun Busch and Stin radiate a genuine synergy with one another that extends far beyond their music. Rather than alternating between moments that focused on the quartet’s sludgy noise-rock and Hayden’s John Fahey-esque guitar soundscapes, the album sees both Chat Pile and Pedigo explore latent yet previously untapped aspects of their sounds. For Chat Pile, this meant an opportunity to explore moodier arrangements, indulge in sample and tape manipulation, and pen among the most sincere and personal lyrics in their entire discography.
In Hayden’s case, this collaboration enabled the visionary guitarist to translate the masterful craft of his typically tranquil, deep country soundscapes into something more sinister, tinged with a visceral, metallic grit that is no less evocative on a sensory level than their solo material.”
The Fat Angel Sings 