Album Review: Pinegrove, 11:11

It’s been a particularly prickly few years for Pinegrove. After making strides with second album Cardinal in 2016, the New Jersey-bred bunch found their career hobbled in late ’17, when leader Evan Stephens Hall was accused of sexual coercion. They then went on hiatus, reportedly at the request of the accuser, and, after a year of therapy, re-emerged to a confused fanbase. Fast forward to the present day, and while many details of that turbulent time remain unclear, it still casts a shadow over the group. And it has changed them considerably, as evidenced on 11:11.

Dialling back the lyrical vulnerability that characterised their first three albums, their fifth effort instead deals with more universal topics such as climate change and community. Sonically, 11:11 also doesn’t quite have the bite of their early days, and their fusion of alt-country and second wave emo now focuses squarely on the former. On the plus side, the mix by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla has given the material a nice earthy sound; ‘Alaska’, in particular, really crackles and fizzes. Ultimately, though, their fifth LP features more misses than hits.

6/10