Pile is currently known as a band but it started in 2007 as a solo project by Rick Maguire. Because of the circumstances of 2020, it temporarily returned to being a mostly solo operation and Rick recorded "Songs Known Together, Alone," a reimagining of some of the band's previously released material. Recorded live in a barn in upstate New York, Rick used the opportunity to explore new sounds and instrumentation, half of the songs were performed on guitar and a foot-pedal synthesizer and the other half performed on piano. The reimagined performances show Pile in a new light, and while the approach is unlike anything heard from the band before, the emotional charge is just as palpable.