‘God’s Country’ is the voice you keep stowed away. You might hear it rattling around when passing by some sad scene, but we get on with our day, chin up, eyes ahead. For all its domineering metal veneer, this record is terrifyingly fragile. It’s quite apparent that Chat Pile are past a hug better. They want to know why you aren’t looking at the tragedy—how you have kept a lid on things. Sympathy would have seduced the record into a pointless, circuitous spin. The headless fury nosedives into danger that feels too real to have attacked just one of the senses.
25/30
A favourite: ‘Tropical Beaches, Inc.’
‘God’s Country’ is out now via The Flenser.
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