Forming in the basement of Keith’s parents house whilst the guys were still at school in New Jersey, Pine Barons (Keith Abrams, Brad Pulley, Shane Hower and Collin Smith) write tunes constructed of off beat rhythms underneath simple chord structures. Yup, these guys aren’t rewriting the rule book, but that’s why they work. Last year they put out their seven track debut EP, a collection of rugged tracks from a group of like minded souls who see themselves us troubadours. Carnival twinkles with electrics as it fuzzes, but this is probably the only track to veer off piste, even momentarily, from the folk rock’n’roll vibe and all the jams and jigs of the record, although Chamber Choir is a refreshing piece of lo-fi. Dispute appearing to be buoyant and rhapsodic, the lyrics are not always so happy, the most pertinent and powerful perhaps being on Smile America (‘the end told me that I don’t deserve to breath’ and the most radio friendly Since I’ve Been Away (it’s raining on my head sometimes I wish my head was dead.) Bounding along with positive boisterousness, they are perfect for intimate end of summer festivals when the sun is dipping and the rugs come out (although there are a heck of a lot of references to rain.) Almost spitting their way through the vocals and with a rambunctious approach to drums, the whole sonic set up is reminiscent of Frank Turner or City and Colour. Folk with a hint of attitude; we like.
