The Guardian reviews Who Loves the Sun, the third album from Oklahoma sludge-metal band Chat Pile, noting that the group has softened their signature abrasive sound in favour of a brighter, more melodic alt-rock direction. While the shift makes their lyrical themes more accessible, the reviewer feels it lacks the striking originality that defined their earlier work.

The album moves away from the oily, grunting sludge metal of 2022's acclaimed debut God's Country and 2024's Cool World, embracing jangly, XTC-influenced guitars and hookier vocals from singer Raygun Busch. Lyrically, Busch broadens his focus from American violence to the broader theme of desensitisation, with tracks such as Intruder and the trip-hoppy Same Rules showing new stylistic range. The reviewer argues that, compared with the more experimental paths hinted at by prior side-projects, this softened alt-rock rebrand feels like a slight disappointment, though there is enough promise to suggest the band could still find a distinctive new direction.