Behind The Deleted Scenes: Pile of Love
Last Friday the LA based, DIY band Pile of Love dropped a new EP called "Flake on the Future". Now for those that may not be familiar with POL, the band is compiled of members of State Champs, The Story So Far, Drug Church and Mobins Child, which in turn gives us one groovy concoction. The new EP follows the bands self titled, full length which they released back in December of 2021. From start to finish, the 4 track gem of an EP takes on a much needed trip of melodic mindfulness. Lyrically it's a bit heavier this time around, but with the entrancing vocals of Morgan Foster (Mobins Child) and those catchy riffs, the EP delivers all the comfort, easy listening and lyrical relatability you could ask for.
The new EP also includes a treat of a cover song. A tasty version of "Game of Pricks" by Guided by Voices. They make it their own and it's a fab addition to the EP. Recently I got to speak to the bands vocalist, Morgan Foster, about the band and he was also kind enough to answer some questions for me pertaining to the bands origin, influences and the DIY process. Enjoy the interview below!
First off, congratulations on the new EP. It’s absolutely brilliant. But before we jump into that can you give us some insight, for those of us that don’t know, on how POL came to be a band?
Thanks a lot! We are all happy with how it came out. The band came together when Nick, Ryan, Chris and Kevin started jamming together in LA a couple years ago around the lockdown. Nobody really wanted to sing so they asked me if I was interested in trying to write some vocal melodies/lyrics over the demos they had at the time and the rest is history. It felt like a very natural inception.
Now all of you come from variety of bands/projects that have different musical stylings and sounds. When developing your unique sound for POL were there any specific musical influences that you guys were listening to at the time?
Heatmiser and Superdrag were big influences for this EP. I was listening to Elliott Smith’s Figure 8 and Saves the Day’s In Reverie and Sound the Alarm for some vocal melody references.
The DIY approach definitely seems to be the route for a lot of bands lately, can you give us some insight to where you guys recorded “Flake On The Future” and what that process was like? Is there a song or songs in particular that you’re most proud of from this EP?
Yeah, DIY is the way to go when everyone in the band knows what they’re doing and has some connections already. We recorded most of the EP at The Resort in Orange County. Some overdubs were done at Photographic Memory’s home studio in LA and I did the vocals for Divisibly Upset and Flake on The Future with my friend Ben Hirschfield at NuTone Studios in the Bay Area. Jon Markson did mixing and some production too, he’s our good friend and an excellent engineer/producer.
I’m really happy with all of the songs but I think Over & Out is the standout track. Having said that, Flake on the Future is my favorite on the EP, I like the quirkiness and that the verses are all different vocally. Also, Ben helped me out dialing in the chorus melody and I love how it turned out.
And lastly, you guys just announced some dates for December with Militarie Gun. Can we expect to see you guys hit the road a bit more in 2023?
We’re very stoked for the Militarie Gun shows, I think those are going to be great for everybody involved. We are working on booking a 10 show run of southwest shows at the end of January with a very cool band. It’s not 100% confirmed yet, but will likely be happening. I’m sure we’ll have some more shows popping up too.
Also might be going to Japan..
With their tunes on the rise and future shows in the works, it seems that flaking on the future may not be the route for these talented dudes and their piles of music. Keep your eyes on this band, take all of their tunes for a spin and if you can, catch them live on one of their upcoming shows! Until then, Over & Out.
📸: Will Levy (@unclewooly)
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