The Texan-born guitar wizard Hayden Pedigo is a fingerstyle virtuoso who’s lived a fascinating life. Pedigo has collaborated with artists like Jessica Pratt and Tim Heidecker, and he makes music on his own; his album The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored came out last year. He’s also worked as a runway model, and his unsuccessful run for Amarillo city council was the subject of the 2021 documentary Kid Candidate. Now, Pedigo has apparently recorded an album with Chat Pile.

You know Chat Pile, right? Oklahoma City noise-rockers, make pulverizing seasick riff-music with disturbingly incisive lyrics, big movie buffs, Stereogum favorites. Their album Cool World came out a few months ago, and it kicks ass. Chat Pile are a great DIY story, but they’re also willing collaborators. They’ve released a few splits with other bands, and they soundtracked the indie film Tenkiller a few years ago. The combination of Hayden Pedigo and Chat Pile isn’t exactly expected, but it makes its own kind of sense.

On Instagram today, Hayden Pedigo posted a photo of himself with Chat Pile, writing that he’s spent the past month making an album with them in Oklahoma City. Here’s how he describes it: “Apocalyptic western picking slammed through heavy riffs and maybe 90s Chicago post-rock even?” That sounds fucking sick. Pedigo doesn’t know when this album might come out, but he has our attention.

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Read our 2023 Cover Story on Chat Pile here.