Album Review: Pinegrove, 11:11

If Pinegrove’s fifth album 11:11 were a house, it would lie at the intersection of ‘90s Emo Blvd. and Pacific Northwest Indie Rock Ln. Alt-Country Road would be within driving distance. Mixed by former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist, Chris Walla, 11:11 may bring up feelings of nostalgia for listeners who had Nada Surf, the Get Up Kids, and Ben Kweller in their car CD binder. On the album’s urgent opening track, “Habitat,” the tone is set with ringing power chords and frontman Evan Stephens Hall’s strained croon. You think you know what you’re in for until the Built-to-Spill vibes fade, replaced with four minutes of mellow finger picking and homespun harmonies. Sometimes, these country and emo influences clash in transition. “Alaska” works great as a short, burst of indie pop, but feels abrupt in the opener’s somber wake. Songs like “Iodine” and “Flora” get the mixture right, blending the roaming vulnerability of Texas is the Reason with just enough cathartic oomph. For some, 11:11 may be too sad for the winter. But for those who find melancholy to be like a blanket, 11:11 is warm, cozy—and dotted with energetic moments to help you get up and refill your cocoa or turn up the thermostat.

Check out 11:11 on Bandcamp below.