Kick off your shoes and prepare to take a vicarious walk through a schizophrenic’s mind. That’s where Pile‘s “Mr.Fish” will take you, off their abrasive record You’re Better Than This on Exploding in Sound Records. The Boston band that’s made a reputation for its hard work ethic and take on post hardcore show just how powerful a subdued moment can be here. Guitars ring out with lyrics charting the journey from a normal mind to having “a zoo of formless tenants that I wrestle with, they burrow into me and push out through my limb…they find their way out.” The whole song feels like a struggle to overcome these demons filled with empathy and a chilling uncertainty that makes it all the more realistic.

So who is Daryl Fish some readers may be asking? “He’s semi-fictional, but he’s based off a guy in Boston, in the Allston or Cambridge area,” says Rick Maguire, guitarist/singer of Pile, “He just sees the world differently than other people. The song is more of me wondering if he has any idea that everybody sees the world differently than him. While the album was released last spring, Pile proves their material only gets stronger as we ring in a new year.