Piles and Piles – Premonitions Say

Some things are weird. Like if a band from the Boston area just tries to contact you on Facebook asking you, if you would be so kind to listen to their new EP they just released via Bandcamp. Even more astonishing is the fact that when you actually listen to them and find a bloody great band just got in touch with you. This is cool but here is the next problem: Neither their facebook page, nor their bandcamp page gives you any details about them.

This happened to me with Piles and Piles. They kindly asked me to have a listen to their 5 song EP „Premonitions Say“ and it is awesome. A magnificent blend of twinkly guitars, post-rock parts and a decent voice. So I felt like I had to get a little better understanding of the guys and ended up exchanging a few emails and a few questions. Turns out they can’t only write good songs, but are also a good bunch of guys.

I’ve been obsessing recently with American bands, the new wave of emo or whatever you want to call it. I love spending my free time browsing bandcamp and little blogs for bands just to go to youtube afterwards and watch those bands playing basement shows. Will, of Piles and Piles says it’s something they love doing (you can find proof of that at the bottom of this article). Growing up near Boston, it doesn’t seem a surprise that all members of the band got involved or in touch with the DIY scene there from early on. Just think about Boston hardcore for a minute and give the EP a listen.

When I listened to the songs for the first time I immediately fell in love with the rough production. Which is another thing that keeps me appreciating this „scene“ (if you want to call it like that). So while the punk and hardcore scene might have had an influence on the band’s attitude and production values, the arrangements are a lot more layered and sophisticated. The guitar work on Deam reminds me of American Football, while in other parts you can hear a big The Fall of Troy influenc, which they are happy to hear. „I fucking love The Fall of Troy! Those guys got me into all of the music I love now“ states guitarist Luke. So no wonder then, that this EP is filled with quirky ideas, ranging from melodic guitar plucking to noise-filled walls of sound.

This is a cracker! Period.