by Ryan J. Nims
Oklahoma City’s Chat Pile (Raygun Busch, Luther Manhole, Stin & Cap’n Ron) has been making waves lately with their apocalyptic noise rock in the vein of Austin’s Scratch Acid or Chicago’s Big Black.
Amarillo native Hayden Pedigo plays beautiful instrumental fingerstyle guitar in the American Primitive fashion.
After Pedigo moved to Oklahoma City, he messaged Chat Pile; they met and hit it off–going to shows, watching movies, and just generally hanging out. This led to the surprising collaboration, In the Earth Again (2025, Computer Students & the Flenser), Pedigo’s 12th album and Chat Pile’s third, which was released in October of 2025.
The album opens with a short instrumental called “Outside,” then goes into “Demon Time,” featuring Pedigo’s gorgeous guitar serenading Busch’s soft vocal delivery. All the while, Stin’s fuzz bass and Cap’n Ron’s percussion play along in the background.
“Never Say Die!” is a sludgy track, where Busch’s fierce vocals slide over a cacophonous wall of guitars, played by Pedigo, Busch, and Manhole.
Next up is “Behold a Pale Horse” an instrumental guitar duo.
Following is “The Magic of the World,” which opens with a nice acoustic guitar and Mellotron passage. The song is a moment of quiet before the much heavier instrumental “Fission/Fusion.”
“The Matador” is perhaps the most Chat Pile song on the album: unrelentingly heavy with occasional stabs of Pedigo’s clean guitar breaking through.
“I Got My Own Blunt to Smoke” is another brief instrumental guitar track.
“Radioactive Dreams” opens with Pedigo’s characteristic guitar, before Chat Pile comes in. The song is abrasive, but not as heavy as some others that precede it.
“Inside” is another brief instrumental.
The final song, “A Tear For Lucas” is a folky Raygun Busch solo track, about a friend who passed away.
Fans of both musicians will definitely find something to like in this album, although this album may be more tuned for fans of Chat Pile. Overall, In the Earth Again is a unique album with elements of Chat Pile’s sludge metal and Pedigo’s plaintive guitar, but it is something else entirely. Despite the ferocity of some songs, there are moments of optimism in this record. And these days, even a little bit of optimism goes a long way!