Skylight

Are you in the mood to FEEL? “Skylight” by Montclair’s own emo/alt-country band Pinegrove will transport you with its longing guitar tones, contemplative chord and rhythm changes, and lead singer Evan Stephens-Hall’s iridescent lyrical metaphors. The album begins with “Rings” and “Portal” and “Intrepid,” which I believe are the 3 best songs on the record, all back-to-back. It is an immersive opening that lets the listener in to Stephens-Hall’s mindset as he comes to terms with loss in a relationship. “Isn’t it lonely? I’ll never hold you the way you held me up.” Or, “If we learn to love ourselves better, maybe we could commit?” The next song, “Paterson & Leo,” is a re-recording of a song from their previous record. Not all songs should be re-done, but Pinegrove truly outdoes themselves here. If you’re in the mood for a good cry, I suggest hopping in your car at 1am, driving some back roads, and throwing this on. At just 2 minutes long, the song is an ode to the Stephens-Hall’s 2 dogs and their friendship to one another. It’s beautiful if taken literally, but also offers an analogy to the human connection. I think of the same person every time it comes on. All of our great memories together. Some other highlights on this project are “Angelina,” one of my Pinegrove’s more popular tracks (and most brilliant melodies), “Easy Enough,” which features some of the most beautiful building of harmonies you’ll ever hear, and “Darkness,” a song that instills an undeniably meditative motif. More than anything, what Pinegrove delivers here is the universal feeling of confusion, loss, friendship, and humanity through melancholic guitars and raw, emotive drumming that mimics a change of feeling over time. I highly recommend that you give this album a listen. Prepare yourself to be broken and rebuilt.