In a few short weeks, Oklahoma City noise-rock greats will follow their modern-classic 2022 full-length debut God’s Country with the much-anticipated new album Cool World. (Chat Pile have put out a lot of music, but unless we’re counting the Tenkiller soundtrack and the various EPs, this is only their second proper album.) Thus far, Chat Pile have shared the early tracks “I Am Dog Now” and “Masc,” and both of them are awesome. Today, we get to hear a third song.

Like “I Am Dog Now” and “Masc” before it, Chat Pile’s new song “Funny Man” is a seething, freaked-out rager with an unnerving music video. In this case, the song alternates between head-crushing riffs and skronky, splintered, nervous ’90s-style funk-metal. Over that seesawing track, Raygun Busch goes into the demented-rant zone: “The wicked jester is dancing and clapping as my big strong hands kill the people they told me! !There are times that I can almost believe it!I can almost imagine I was meant to do this and be here!” Once again, it’s great shit.

In a press release, Raygun Busch says that “Funny Man” is about “being a servant, indentured or otherwise. I hate having to explain the content of these songs because I want it to mean whatever it needs to mean to those listening, but essentially it concerns illusion vs. reality in regards to America and war. The title comes from an obscure British movie, but otherwise there’s no relation.”

The “Funny Man” video comes from director Matt Rosenbaum, and it’s a series of mostly-still images from a suburban house where things are not as they should be. Here’s what Chat Pile bassist Stin says about the song and its video:

My favorite thing about “Funny Man” is that we’ve finally accomplished creating our version of the ultimate Beavis And Butt-Head couch music. This is like our “Thunderkiss ’65” or “Existence Is Punishment“… The patient, static nature of the video fighting against the frenetic energy of the song makes for a cool and queasy juxtaposition that I personally love. Matt was able to tap into a very specific uncomfortable feeling that conjures those depressive semi-conscious dream-states that we’ve all experienced but can’t quite articulate.

Check it out below.

Cool World is out 10/11 on the Flenser. Check out our 2023 Cover Story on Chat Pile here.

Taking band promo photos is one of the greatest indignities one must suffer. 4 grown men standing around a train track or some shit trying to look cool while people drive by wondering why a group of gas station employees would need senior portraits

— Chat Pile (@ChatPileBand) September 1, 2024

I take it back, the greatest indignity one must suffer is having a post blow up on this absolute dork-magnet of a website https://t.co/XPtIm3jk0d

— Chat Pile (@ChatPileBand) September 2, 2024

The Flenser pic.twitter.com/zIxa6yX8Gd

— Chat Pile (@ChatPileBand) September 22, 2024