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Pile is an American
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Starting as the solo act of Rick Maguire in the late 2000s, Pile has been a collective since the release of ''Magic Isn't Real'' in 2010. To date, Pile has released eight full-length albums. In recent years the band has gained increasing popularity, becoming a prominent part of the Boston indie rock scene and frequently touring through both the US and Europe. While remaining outside of the mainstream, the band has been repeatedly recognized for captivating a particularly enthusiastic and dedicated fan base. Their sound has been described by ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' as a "distinct blend of melted guitars" with "howling-wolf vocals and shred-free guitar harmonies".


History

Pile released its first album '' Demonstration'' on July 7, 2007. In 2009, a second album called ''Jerk Routine'' was released. In 2010 Pile formed its current line-up as a band and released the album ''Magic Isn't Real''. The band released a 7-inch single called "Big Web" in 2011. After self-releasing three albums and one single, Pile signed with record label Exploding in Sound in October 2011, and released the first album under this label, ''Dripping'', on October 23, 2012. The band released a new single, "Special Snowflakes", on March 11, 2014. They continued to release a fifth album, their second under Exploding in Sound, called ''You're Better Than This'' on March 3, 2015. Later that year, Pile released ''First Other Tape'' on August 4, 2015. On March 31, 2017, they released their sixth album, ''A Hairshirt of Purpose.'' On April 25, 2018, Pile released the single "Keep the Last Light On", which had previously been released as part of the ''Boston Sessions, Vol. 1: Beast'' compilation. It was featured on the compilation album ''Odds and Ends'', which collated a series of b-sides, compilation tracks and the like from across Pile's career. On August 28, 2018, Maguire announced, in an email to Pile's fans, that guitarist Matt Becker had stepped out of the band indefinitely and bass player Matt Connery had stepped out temporarily. Chappy Hull and Alex Molini would be playing guitar and bass on the next album and tour. It was later revealed that Maguire had moved from Boston, and was now living in a house with Hull and Molini in Nashville. On May 3, 2019, Pile released their seventh LP, ''Green and Gray.'' On October 2, 2020, Pile released ''Second Other Tape'', a new collection of "ideas, experiments, and songs that are only partially formed." Recorded between March and August, 2020, this release was exclusively available on cassette through the group's Bandcamp. 2015's ''First Other Tape'' was also made available for purchase, and the two tapes were available through December 4, 2020. To celebrate 10 years since the release of ''Magic Isn't Real'', on April 17, 2021, Pile performed the album in its entirety during a video live stream on their Bandcamp account, using its lineup from 2011 – 2017 (Rick Maguire, Matt Becker, Matt Connery, and Kris Kuss). The band then released ''In the Corners of a Sphere-Filled Room'' on May 7, 2021. Unlike previous releases, this album is fully improvisational, with 14 tracks of collected noise recorded intermittently between December 2018 and January 2021 – primarily during ''Green and Grays session. On February 17, 2023, Pile released ''All Fiction'', their eighth full-length album, recorded at Marcata Recording. On January 5, 2024, they released the ''Hot Air Balloon EP'', which consisted of material recorded during the ''All Fiction'' sessions. On November 18, 2024, Pile announced their signing to Sooper Records with plans for a new album in 2025.


Members

Current * Rick Maguire – vocals, guitar (2007–present) * Alex Molini – bass (2018–present) * Kris Kuss – drums (2009–present) * Matt Connery – bass (2010–2018), touring member (2022), guitar (2023–present) Former * Chappy Hull – guitar (2018–2021) * Matt Becker – guitar (2008–2018), touring member (2022) Touring * Eric Schermerhorn – guitar * Steve Hartlett – guitar (2013) * Yazan Fahmawi – guitar (2015)


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums * ''Demonstration'' (2007, self-released) * ''Jerk Routine'' (2009, self-released, reissued on Exploding in Sound) * ''Magic Isn't Real'' (2010, self-released) * ''Dripping'' (2012, Exploding in Sound) * ''You're Better Than This'' (2015, Exploding in Sound) * ''A Hairshirt of Purpose'' (2017, Exploding in Sound) * '' Green and Gray'' (2019, Exploding in Sound) * ''All Fiction'' (2023, Exploding in Sound) Singles * "Big Web" (2011, self-released, 7-inch) * "Special Snowflakes" / "Mama's Lipstick" (2014, Exploding in Sound) Other releases * ''First Other Tape'' (2015, self-released, cassette) * ''Pile – Audiotree Live'' (2017, Audiotree) * ''Live at Third Man Records'' (2017, Third Man Records) * ''Odds and Ends'' (2018, Exploding in Sound) * ''Glow'' (2020, demos from ''Magic Isn't Real'' sessions, self-released) * ''Second Other Tape'' (2020, self-released, cassette) * ''In the Corners of a Sphere-Filled Room'' (2021, self-released) * ''Songs Known Together, Alone'' (2021, Exploding in Sound) * ''Hot Air Balloon EP'' (2024, Exploding in Sound)


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from Massachusetts Musical groups established in 2005 American musical quartets Musical groups from Boston Fierce Panda Records artists Third Man Records artists Exploding in Sound artists