If you listen through most of Pile’s discography, the main observation that can be drawn from it is that Rick Maguire has quite the knack for drawing scenes out of strong emotion. They’re not the kind of group to succumb to the pressure that with every new release you should be trying to one-up yourself, and instead Maguire chooses to see the creative process as a journey – one that is detailed across the length of the group’s latest album, Sunshine and Balance Beams.
From the get-go, Maguire conjures up dark images as a metaphor for the creative process. ‘An Opening’ describes the dark forest the album’s protagonist must face to get through their problems, whilst ‘Deep Clay’ explores the idea that there is meaning to the struggle faced to get out the other side.
The album is heavy in both senses of the word. Thunderous, erratic guitar dominates much of the instrumental landscape, which perfectly encapsulates the feelings of dread and internal struggle that are reflected in Maguire’s lyrics. ‘Bouncing in Blue’ tackles letting go of control and attempting to just take life one day at a time, starting slow and steady before it blooms into something much bigger. There’s a similar approach on ‘Born At Night’, which is probably the darkest track on the album, with its lyrics about how there’s no end to suffering of any kind. Between the huge string arrangement and those resident heavy guitars, it feels like the sonic answer to the album’s overall meaning of learning to balance both the light and dark times in our lives.
Chaos and catharsis go hand in hand on Sunshine and Balance Beams, ‘Meanwhile Outside’ and ‘Carrion Song’ round off the album nicely, with the former being the first track in the album’s duration where there’s a short break from the chaos as the protagonist reflects on the journey they’ve been on. At eight minutes duration, it feels huge and cinematic, leading us nicely into. ‘Carrion Song’ features another gorgeous string arrangement as the perfect goodbye to the story told across the album.