The quieter spots on You're Better Than This, the new full-length from New England rock institution Pile, are crucial. The first half of "Mr. Fish" sounds like a country song, then it explodes. On closer "Appendicitis," frontman Rick Maguire drawls Now I wait as patiently as I can for my heart to ache again over slow, steady guitar chugs; the end of the song is messy, loud, and rhythmically intense. The tension between those softer, sadder moments and the abrasive ones feels vital, like you can't have a full-blown catharsis without spelling out what hurts in the first place. There's also something amazing about a noise-punk band releasing a nimbly plucked acoustic instrumental called "Fuck The Police."
Maguire, whose screwy storytelling is so good that it inspires other Boston bands to write concept albums, says making You're Better Than This was actually kind of a daunting ordeal. "I didn't really know what I was doing," he told FADER in an email. "Flying blindly a bit. I think it ended up working out alright, though." We think so, too. The album officially drops next week via Exploding In Sound, but you can stream the whole thing exclusively right here.
Tour dates:
02/24 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
02/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades
02/26 – New Brunswick, NJ @ In The West
02/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Girard Hall
03/01 – Washington, DC @ Union Arts (Matinee)
03/01 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar (Late)
03/02 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
03/03 – Charlotte, NC @ Milestone
03/04 – Asheville, NC @ Static Age
03/05 – Louisville, KY @ New Vintage
03/06 – Nashville, TN @ Elberta Mansion
03/07 – Birmingham, AL @ The Forge
03/08 – Atlanta, GA @ Mammal Gallery
03/09 – Athens, GA @ World Famous
03/10 – Savannah, GA @ The Bomb Shelter
03/11 – Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
03/12 – Cape Coral, FL @ Nice Guys Pizza
03/13 – Orlando, FL @ Backbooth
03/14 – Tallahassee, FL @ Liberty Bar
03/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Beatnik
03/16 – Houston, TX @ Black Barbie
03/17 – Corpus Christi, TX @ NASA
03/19 – Austin, TX @ The Longbranch Inn
03/19 – Austin, TX @ Todd's Mansion
03/20 – Austin, TX @ Side Bar
03/20 – Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall
03/20 – Austin, TX @ South By South Friendy's
03/21 – Austin, TX @ The Liberty
03/23 – Denton, TX @ Gatsby's
03/24 – Norman, OK @ Dope Chapel
03/28 – Tempe, AZ @ Cornish Party
03/30 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
03/31 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Funzone
04/01 – San Jose, CA @ Café Stritch
04/02 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
04/03 – Oakland, CA @ Night Light
04/04 – Oakland, CA @ 1-2-3-4 Go
04/05 – Portland, OR @ Winch
04/06 – Portland, OR @ Mother Foucault's
04/07 – Olympia, WA @ Deadbeat Records
04/08 – Bellingham, WA @ Loudhouse
04/09 – Seattle, WA @ Black Lodge
04/10 – Missoula, MT @ Hawkey Haus
04/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
04/12 – Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
04/14 – Omaha, NE @ Sweatshop Gallery
04/15 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
04/16 – Carbondale, IL @ The Swamp
04/17 – St. Louis, MO @ Foam
04/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Hexagon Bar
04/20 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cocoon Room
04/21 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
04/22 – Detroit, MI @ Trumbell Plex
04/23 – Oberlin, OH @ The Sco
04/25 – Gambier, OH @ The Horn Gallery
04/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
04/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
04/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
05/12 – Portsmouth, NH @ Red Door
05/15 – Montreal, QC @ Pouzza Fest
05/16 – Toronto, ON @ Soybomb
05/19 – New Haven, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre
05/21 – Lowell, MA @ The Safe
