Pile Release 9th Album Sunshine And Balance Beams Via Sooper Records + Share New Video “Deep Clay”
Photo credit: Mark Lapriore and Jack Ramsdell
Boston’s DIY heavyweights Pile return with their ninth studio album, Sunshine and Balance Beams—their first release on Sooper Records. Known for their fearless spirit and uncompromising sound, the band delivers an album that explores the path toward acceptance: of the self, the environment, and life’s inherent limits.
Frontman Rick Maguire reflects:
For over 15 years, Pile has built a reputation as one of the most vital forces in independent music, often hailed as this generation’s Fugazi. While their DIY ethos remains intact, Sunshine and Balance Beams expands their sonic palette. The band teamed up with engineer Miranda Serra (Kal Marks, Kira McSpice), mixer Seth Manchester (Model/Actriz, The Hotelier, Big Brave), and mastering engineer Matt Colton (James Blake, Depeche Mode, Band Bear) to bring their vision to life.
Alongside the album, Pile unveil the video for “Deep Clay”, directed by Stafen Fernandez, who handled three of the four visuals from the campaign. The video draws inspiration from cinematic icons like Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris.
Pile will support the album with an extensive international run: a 37-date, 39-show North American tour with labelmate and Sooper Records co-founder NNAMDÏ, followed by a 25-city UK/EU tour. The band will also appear at Austin’s Levitation Festival and make stops in Paris and Switzerland, bringing their new music to more than 60 cities worldwide. Full tour dates are listed below.
ABOUT Pile
Pile formed in 2007 as songwriter Rick Maguire’s solo outlet, soon joined by time-warping drummer Kris Kuss (in 2009) and fuzzed-yet-melodic bassist Matt Connery (in 2010), among other friends; with its explosively intricate take on heavy music, the band found devoted fans amid Boston’s bustling punk scene. Since then, Pile’s released eight acclaimed albums, each showcasing different facets of its members’ talents.
Dripping, the post-hardcore 2012 breakthrough, encapsulated the frenetic power of epic basement gigs. 2017’s A Hairshirt of Purpose twisted Pile’s angularities for greater clarity, incorporating strings without losing menace. Connery’s temporary departure after this record brought respected engineer and peer Alex Molini in on bass; the electronic experimentalism of All Fiction (2023) deepened the production relationship between Maguire and Molini, proving the band’s exploratory commitment as lifelong.
That doesn’t scratch Pile’s dozen other releases, including B-side compilations, outtake EPs, demo cassettes, and live reworkings. They’ve earned a reputation as your favorite band’s favorite band, workhorses crafting thought-provoking riffs while maintaining a tour schedule of international headlining, festival slots, and support for legendary and likeminded artists like Jesus Lizard and Cursive.
Audio:
Tour Dates:
Aug 21, 2025 – SPACE Gallery – Portland, ME
Aug 22, 2025 – The Hangar on the Hudson – Troy, NY
Aug 23, 2025 – Flour City Station – Rochester, NY
Aug 25, 2025 – Drake Underground – Toronto, ON
Aug 26, 2025 – El Club – Detroit, MI
Aug 27, 2025 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Aug 29, 2025 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
Aug 30, 2025 – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Aug 31, 2025 – The Aquarium – Fargo, ND
Sep 2, 2025 – Zootown Arts Community Center / ZACC – Missoula, MT
Sep 4, 2025 – The Pearl – Vancouver, BC
Sep 6, 2025 – Madame Lou’s – Seattle, WA
Sep 7, 2025 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
Sep 7, 2025 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
Sep 10, 2025 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA
Sep 12, 2025 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
Sep 13, 2025 – Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA
Sep 15, 2025 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
Sep 16, 2025 – The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
Sep 18, 2025 – Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ
Sep 19, 2025 – Love Buzz – El Paso, TX
Sep 20, 2025 – Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery – Santa Fe, NM
Sep 22, 2025 – Lost Lake Lounge – Denver, CO
Sep 24, 2025 – WAVE – Wichita, KS
Sep 25, 2025 – Resonant Head – Oklahoma City, OK
Sep 26, 2025 – Tulips FTW – Fort Worth, TX
Sep 27, 2025 – Levitation 2025 – Austin, TX
Sep 28, 2025 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
Sep 30, 2025 – No Dice – New Orleans, LA
Oct 2, 2025 – The Boneyard – Chattanooga, TN
Oct 3, 2025 – Aisle 5 – Atlanta, GA
Oct 4, 2025 – The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
Oct 5, 2025 – Kings – Raleigh, NC
Oct 6, 2025 – Pearl Street Warehouse – Washington, DC
Oct 8, 2025 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 9, 2025 – Sony Hall – New York, NY
Oct 10, 2025 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT
Oct 11, 2025 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Oct 25, 2025 – Horst Klub – Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
Oct 26, 2025 – La Coloc Pub – Annecy, France
Oct 27, 2025 – Legend 54 – Milano, Italy
Oct 28, 2025 – Freakout Club – Bologna, Italy
Oct 29, 2025 – Channel Zero – Ljubljana, Slovenia
Oct 30, 2025 – Klub Močvara – Zagreb, Croatia
Oct 31, 2025 – Lucia – Wien, Austria
Nov 2, 2025 – MeetFactory – Prague, Czech Republic
Nov 3, 2025 – Scheune – Dresden, Germany
Nov 4, 2025 – Frannz Club – Berlin, Germany
Nov 5, 2025 – Headcrash – Hamburg, Germany
Nov 8, 2025 – Kulturzentrum Franzis – Wetzlar, Germany
Nov 9, 2025 – Sonic City Festival 2025 – Kortrijk, Belgium
Nov 10, 2025 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 11, 2025 – Cultuurfabriek Hall of Fame – Tilburg, Netherlands
Nov 12, 2025 – The Dome – London, United Kingdom
Nov 13, 2025 – DUST – Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
Nov 14, 2025 – Strange Brew – Bristol, United Kingdom
Nov 16, 2025 – Sound House – Dublin 1, Ireland
Nov 17, 2025 – Mono – Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nov 18, 2025 – The Lending Room – Leeds, United Kingdom
Nov 19, 2025 – The Hare and Hounds – Birmingham, United Kingdom
Nov 21, 2025 – La Zone – Liège, Belgium
Nov 22, 2025 – Point Éphémère – Paris, France
Nov 23, 2025 – Le Botanique – Bruxelles, Belgium
All dates w/ NNAMDÏ except Levitation Festival (Austin, TX)
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Links:
Official: https://pilemusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pileof
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pilemusic/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pilemusic
