A Hairshirt of Purpose

Boston indie rock band Pile’s sixth album is a genuine surprise. Stark but warm, dingy but pretty, *Hairshirt* recalls the dreamy side of ’80s Sonic Youth paired with a melancholy grandeur that could only be called Pile’s own. The sound is stripped down—bass, drums, guitar—but the songs are fragmented and surprising, taking detours through blues and post-punk (as on the labyrinthine “Rope’s Length”), Jesus Lizard-style churn (“Hairshirt”), and almost Beatles-esque gentleness (“Worms,” “Dogs”).

Recorded by Ben Brodin at the Record Company in Boston, MA in September of 2016. Mixed by Ben at Another Recording Company in Omaha, NE Mastered by Carl Saff. Artwork by Nick Pyle. Violin and Viola played by Elisabeth Fuchsia Matt Becker – guitar Matt Connery – bass Kris Kuss – drums Rick Maguire – guitar and vocals credits releases March 31, 2017

The sharp new LP from the Boston rockers avoids expectation without losing their asymmetrical songwriting style. It feels, in some sense, like their first true album.

No two Pile albums are alike, and that’s what makes hitting play on a new one so exciting. Those first few notes open a door to a new world, one that could only be created by frontman Rick Maguire. With Pile, Maguire is fearless, willing to take country and bluegrass riffs and twist them around noisy post-hardcore and…

Pile's new LP, A Hairshirt of Purpose, has a warmth to it that sets it apart from 2015's, You're Better Than This. Songs move slower, develo...