Pile & Palehound w/ Trophy Dad

Boston’s Palehound, lead by fierce vocalist and prolific creative force Ellen Kempner, released their sophomore album "A Place I'll Always Go" June 16 on Polyvinyl Record Co. The collection is a frank look at love and loss, cushioned by indelible hooks and gently propulsive, fuzzed-out rock. As Kempner explains, "A lot of it is about loss and learning how to let yourself evolve past the pain and the weird guilt that comes along with grief."  Since forming in 2014, Palehound—Kempner, drummer Jesse Weiss (Spook The Herd), and new bassist Larz Brogan—have taken their plainspoken, technique-heavy indie rock from the basements of Boston to festivals around the world. A Place I'll Always Go builds on the promise of Palehound's critically acclaimed 2015 album Dry Food with songs that breathe Kempner’s evolved maturity, while asserting her core artistic fire.  Pile    Pile have never released the same album twice, since the project’s 2007 beginnings the Boston quartet have been continuously evolving, pushing expectations, and obliterating good sensibility. A Hairshirt of Purpose, the band’s fifth album continues that tradition in a different light. Following the raw intensity and unpredictability of You’re Better Than This, the band settled down to create an album about “the joys of solitude” and “the inescapable selfishness of every action,” exploring the limits of the studio in the process. If their last album was a challenge to their audience, A Hairshirt of Purpose is a challenge to the band itself. Recorded at home in Boston at The Record Co. the studio's big windows and close proximity marked a change from the band’s previous recordings. Pile vocalist/guitarist Rick Maguire shared, “we were at home and we could see the sun, and I think both of those things lent themselves to a more focused and deliberate record.” There’s a warmth and radiant accessibility to be found throughout the album as the band experimented with different instruments (violin, viola, piano, organs, synths, banjo, etc) and a resounding push toward clarity. Pile balance their ferocious tendencies with moments of beauty, building tension with release never too far behind. Trophy Dad Madison, Wis based Indie rock favorites.