Revisiting Pinegrove after the Pinegrove Shuffle

The Pinegrove Shuffle was a TikTok trend that blew up in the summer of 2023. People were dancing to the song Need 2 off of the band Pinegrove’s 2015 album Everything So Far, almost a full decade after its release. The band Pinegrove was on a hiatus during that time, and it’s a mystery why Need 2 blew up at the time it did. People at the time loved Need 2 for its open-heartedness and introspective lyrics, but many of the people I have talked to never decided to dive into Pinegrove further than that. I’m here to share my opinion on why you should take a closer listen if you haven’t already and talk about their unique sound.

Photo by Pinegrove

Photo by Pinegrove

Pinegrove is a band from Montclair, New Jersey, led by frontman Evan Stephen Halls. They emerged alongside other popular indie and rock East Coast bands like Alex G or Title Fight, but they are interesting not because they are similar but because of their differences. Pinegrove has adopted this alt-country indie rock sound that I personally find enticing. Their sound features a kind of reflection of the environment and community of their origin in the northeast United States, and their use of instruments like banjo and steel pan guitar add to that feeling. While I love all of their songs and studio albums, their latest album, 11:11 from 2022, is super special for its imagery about nature and their silent protest against climate change. Lyrics like “Today the sky is orange, And you and I know why” from the song Orange personally hit really hard. I also really enjoy their other albums, like Everything So Far, released in 2015, for their introspective lyrics about community and relationships. Something about the acoustic sounds, the timbre of Evan Stephen Hall’s voice, imagery, and lyricism used by Pinegrove makes everything feel much more personal, and I really like hearing than in music.

Photo from Tuned Up

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed it!

Caleb G / Industry Insider