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Cool World (Chat Pile album)

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Cool World
Studio album by
Chat Pile
ReleasedOctober 11, 2024 (2024-10-11)
Recorded2024
Genre
Length42:47
LabelThe Flenser
Chat Pile chronology
Brothers in Christ
(2023) 		Cool World
(2024)
Singles from Cool World
  1. "I Am Dog Now"
    Released: July 16, 2024
  2. "Masc"
    Released: August 20, 2024
  3. "Funny Man"
    Released: September 24, 2024

Cool World is the second studio album by American rock band Chat Pile. It was released on October 11, 2024, through the Flenser.

Like its predecessor, the album received universal critical acclaim and placed on several publications' year-end lists.

Background and theme

[edit]

Cool World borrows its title from the film of the same name (1992), setting the tone for an "unsettling atmosphere" with a horizon widened to depict a "decaying planet".[1] It serves as a continuation of their 2022 debut album God's Country, "only amped up".[2] Vocalist Raygun Busch explained that the project covers "similar themes" to their previous album but this time expanded to a "macro scale", focusing on "disasters abroad, at home" as well as their impact.[3] If Busch were to describe it in one sentence, he would quote French philosopher Voltaire in saying that Cool World is "is about the price at which we eat sugar in America".[4] Bassist Stin added that the goal was to "stretch the definition" of their sound in order to touch on their personal tastes beyond just noise rock and "challenge" the limits of their previous record.[5]

The album was mixed by Ben Greenberg of Uniform which marks the first time Chat Pile worked with a mixing assistant from outside of the band.[6]

The album's artwork displays a giant cross from a megachurch north of Oklahoma City, off of Interstate 35.[7]

Singles

[edit]

Alongside the album announcement on July 16, 2024, the band released the lead single and opening track "I Am Dog Now", described as a "chunky, grating, post-hardcore/noise rock anthem", accompanied by a Will Mecca-directed video.[6] According to Busch, "Masc", the second single released on August 20, was one of the most important songs on the album as it talks about the "horrors of interpersonal intimacy" but is still in sync with the theme of "oppression, despair and malaise" throughout the album.[8] The third single "Funny Man" came out on September 24 and sees the band delivering a "seething, freaked-out rager" that ranges between "head-crushing riffs" and "90s-style funk-metal".[9]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[11]
Exclaim!8/10[12]
Kerrang[13]
Metal Injection8/10[14]
Paste7.9/10[15]
Pitchfork7.7/10[16]
PopMatters8/10[17]
Slant[18]
Sputnikmusic[19]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Cool World received an average score of 84 based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for The Line of Best Fit, John Amen gave the album a score of 9/10, concluding that "Cool World is instrumentally gripping, vocally enthralling, and lyrically calls out the horrors of late-stage capitalism".[20]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings for Cool World
Publication/critic Accolade Rank Ref.
Consequence 50 Best Albums of 2024 19 [21]
Crack The Top 50 Albums of 2024 44 [22]
Decibel Top 40 Albums of 2024 27 [23]
Exclaim! 50 Best Albums of 2024 7 [24]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2024 21 [25]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Chat Pile

Cool World track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Am Dog Now"3:53
2."Shame"3:45
3."Frownland"3:55
4."Funny Man"3:30
5."Camcorder"6:23
6."Tape"4:12
7."The New World"4:30
8."Masc"4:09
9."Milk of Human Kindness"4:49
10."No Way Out"3:35
Total length:42:47

Personnel

[edit]

Chat Pile

  • Raygun Busch – vocals, recording, photography
  • Luther Manhole – guitar, glockenspiel, recording, photography
  • Stin – bass, tape loops, synthesizer, recording, photography
  • Cap'n Ron – drums, recording, photography

Additional contributors

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Cool World
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 153

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hardman, Neville (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile announce second album Cool World". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Keenan, Hesher (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile's Next Album Cool World Due Out in October". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Gonzales, Ramon (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile Delve In the Grim Realities of Humanity on Cool World". Knotfest. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Siobhain (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile have announced a new album, Cool World, shared single "I Am Dog Now"". Dork. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile Announce New Album Cool World, Share New Single "I Am Dog Now"". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Sacher, Andrew (July 16, 2024). "Chat Pile announce new album Cool World & tour, share "I Am Dog Now"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Campagna, Tom. "Chat Pile's Unhinged Noise Rock Descends Upon a "Cool World" (Interview)". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Keenan, Hesher (August 20, 2024). "Chat Pile Spend a Little Shirtless Bro Time in "Masc"". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom (September 24, 2024). "Chat Pile – "Funny Man"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "COOL WORLD by Chat Pile". Metacritic.
  11. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/cool-world-mw0004339983
  12. ^ https://exclaim.ca/music/article/chat-pile-cool-world-album-review
  13. ^ https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-chat-pile-cool-world
  14. ^ Caitlin McMahon (October 10, 2024). "Album Review: CHAT PILE Cool World". Metal Injection. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  15. ^ https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/chat-pile/chat-pile-cool-world-review
  16. ^ Bloom, Madison (October 15, 2024). "Chat Pile: Cool World Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  17. ^ https://www.popmatters.com/chat-pile-cool-world-review
  18. ^ https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/chat-pile-cool-world-album-review/
  19. ^ Tyler White (October 11, 2024). "Review: Chat Pile - Cool World". SputnikMusic. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  20. ^ "Chat Pile: Cool World Review - industrious barrage | Metal". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2024 | Consequence". December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2024, according to Crack Magazine". Crack Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  23. ^ Decibel Magazine staff (November 12, 2024). "SPOILER: Here Are Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2024". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Exclaim! Staff (November 27, 2024). "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2024". Stereogum. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Chat Pile – Cool World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
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