Prior to Pinegrove’s release of the album 11:11, I was unfamiliar with their work; I feel incredibly grateful, however, that these pieces of music were my introduction to the band. 

My preferred style of music is all over the place, but at this moment, their songs are exactly what I want to be listening to. I could only describe their songs as the feeling of driving in the dark with my closest friends—the most beloved moments in my life. 

The first song on the album, “Habitat,” reminds me of a night driving through Eastown with two of my best friends. We talked about everything that night. Every thought that came to mind, every worry, every single aspect of our lives in need of sharing, truly everything. After that night, I felt relief; the very first lines of this song emulate that feeling excellently: “It’s so still/How’d you do that?/You settled down my habitat.”

“Alaska,” the second song on the album, transports me back to a night coming home from sunset-watching in Grand Haven with my best friend and her parents. As the beat of this song plays, I see that night at the beach flashing by as if someone took photos of it on film. When I close my eyes, I’m brought back to the smell of the Red Robin’s French fries that we stopped to get after. That night was black and brisk, with almost-spring air wafting through the windows—the perfect setting for this piece of art.

“Swimming” allowed me to reminisce on all the blended nights of release after stressful days at school—the nights with no memorable destination or reason for travel. This song talks in beautiful poetry about feeling lost and dull, like it is unobtainable to live the life they truly want. This feeling is sometimes only curable by late-night drives.

The next song on this album that truly resonated with me was “Flora:” one of the few seemingly entirely upbeat songs, but in reality, it has a somber message. It reminds me of a summer drive up to Leeland to stay at a cottage with my second family. The song speaks about feeling worries and anxieties but acknowledging it wasn’t always this way. That drive up through Traverse City is my moment reminding me that there have been purely happy times in my life. 

The song “Orange” reminds me of a drive I took with my mother after a heart-wrenching moment in our lives. This song speaks about “that awful feeling something’s off.” That was the tone of this drive, letting go and moving forward. Playing this song over that memory provided me with a sense of peace and closure. 

Overall, Pinegrove’s album is most definitely worth listening to. I think every individual could find a personal connection and moment to relive within the lines of each of these songs. Whether you’re looking for moments of peace within music or an intense beat drop to prompt screaming through your feelings loudly in the car, this album will provide it to you.