Eco Amplifier: Pinegrove
There are thousands, if not millions, of different types of bands, concerning their style, songwriting, and fans. Some bands occupy the forefront of popular consciousness, while others languish in obscurity.
While maintaining their popularity, some bands fail to achieve the following that others do. In other words, they never achieve the love and reverence that other bands do while being less known.
Pinegrove is one of those special bands that achieved a large following and a cultlike dedication from their fans as they toured the USA.
Pinegrove is an American indie rock band formed in 2010 in New Jersey by Evan Stephens Hall and Zack Levine. While they have gone through many different lineup changes throughout the band’s life, Hall and Levine have remained leaving them as the core members of the group.
For the first few years of the band’s existence, they played in DIY shows throughout New Jersey, garnering a captivated yet small audience. Their first major breakthrough occurred after they released their second album, Cardinal, in 2016. With the release of Cardinal, they began to achieve a larger and even more dedicated fanbase.
The sound of Pinegrove’s music has been described as a mix of alt-country, emo, and conventional indie-rock. The songwriting goes in many different directions, some more introspective and personal, some outwardly expressing the issues most relevant to us all.
However, what is distinctive about Pinegrove is that they do not make the issues they discuss a fundamental aspect of their branding or image. While the issues they write about are important and necessary to discuss, they take a subtle and tasteful approach to how they write about them.
An example is in their song Orange, off their album 11:11. Hall sings, “Today the sky is orange, and you and I know why.” This is in reference to photos circulated in 2020 of the sun in the afternoon filtered through wildfire smoke on the west coast.
Beyond that example, they have also expressed solidarity with other environmental movements. Notably, they have donated aid to groups protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
While they are no longer touring or making music as the group they once were, Pinegrove’s music has maintained relevancy in pop culture. In June 2023, a viral TikTok dance of a user doing what is now known as the “Pinegrove Shuffle” made its way around the internet.
What is plain to see is that Pinegrove’s art has made an outsized impact beyond its existence. Let’s hope that in the future, we will see more Pinegrove music being made, and until then, you can find their music here.