How has the journey been so far after eight albums, and what do you think the band's future holds?
It's been a journey for sure, it's tough to encapsulate it beyond that. I'm not sure what the future holds, the past few years have been a bit tumultuous with lineup changes and a pandemic, but we've found homeostasis in some regard with this release and the live performance of it. Musically, the door feels pretty open, maybe more so than in the past.
After all these years into the band's career, how do you feel about Pile's earlier material?
Some of the material I stand by and some of it I'm less inclined to play. I'm proud that we've put out so much music, though.
What is the new album about, and how did it come to be?
Lyrically and in a narrative sense, it's about a seeming lack of any objective truth. We're inundated with information constantly and trying to draw conclusions from or make sense of what I'm hearing is exhausting and disorienting.
On the new album, how would you characterize the band's sound?
This is a difficult question to answer. I suppose it could be characterized as having a wide range of instrumentation.
How would you describe the songwriting process?
Drawn out but rewarding. I had been working on much of the material for many years, before Green and Gray, but I enjoyed it. I've felt stressed about writing in the past, but I this time I was able to observe how much I liked writing these songs.
How does All Fiction compare to your earlier works?
It's texturally and dynamically different. There are more synthesizers and strings. Less bombast and more nuance, I suppose.
What other factors besides music have really influenced your creative thinking?
Movies and exercise. And while that's true, it feels false because I haven't felt creative at all in the past few months due to my whole self being absorbed in the efforts of getting people to listen to this album.
What music are you currently listening to the most?
Recently, I haven't listened to much. I love Alice Coltrane. I'm about to fly overseas and I downloaded a bunch of Ravel and Debussy to listen to on the flight.
What are some of your immediate plans, following the release of All Fiction?
Performing the album in Europe and the UK.