Pinegrove at The Gothic Theatre 02.16.20

Pinegrove are a band from New Jersey whose music hits tones of country and alternative. The band’s lyrics highlight Evan Stephens Hall’s literary ability. The musical talents of the group mend well together as to not drown out the vocals, but also amplify the sound.

Pinegrove have been releasing lengthy albums since 2014. Their album Everything So Far was dropped in 2014. The 15-track record was later accompanied by Cardinal. Cardinal gave new renditions to their previous album’s songs. One of the best remixed tracks on the record is “Angelina.”

The band’s latest work is titled Marigold, and the record was released earlier this year. Marigold was created after the band’s year-long hiatus.

Pinegrove’s performance at the Gothic Theatre this past weekend gave off a sense of coziness and comfort with the crowd singing back every line. They’re known for their sing-along-ability, and vocalist Evan Stephens Hall has this to say about fans singing along:

“Well … I feel a little conflicted about it,” he told Allston Pudding in an interview. “With the full band, it’s pretty much fine because it’s louder, but I sometimes play a little quieter when it’s acoustic. On one hand, [singing along] is a show of support and community. When they sing the word ‘I,’ they mean themselves; when I sing the word ‘I,’ I mean myself. Logistically, though, like I said, I just really like improvising vocally. When I do that, people are still singing along to the recorded version, which, yes, I acknowledge is the definitive version. But to me, that’s just one iteration of it, the way I happened to sing it that take; the songs themselves exist in a little bit more of an abstract way.”

Their stage performance mixed well with the heartfelt music created from pure self expression. Fans of Pinegrove should try their hardest to never miss a performance, as the band always deliver.

Words and photos by Arianna Balderrama