Album Review: Marigold by Pinegrove

The fragrance of a marigold is anything but subtle. In fact, the flower's pungency is believed to have the strength to lure the dead back across the threshold to the living. Many of Evan Stephens Hall's songs on Pinegrove's third studio album, Marigold, seek that same path out of stasis and back to normalcy. And the band, which has at times been a revolving cast, here plays as a fully formed unit with their tightest recorded moments to date on display.

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Appearing less than a year after 2019's self-released Skylight, New Jersey indie outfit Pinegrove return with Marigold, their fourth LP and first for seminal British indie Rough Trade. Coming off a tumultuous period that saw the quartet's momentum stalled by a sudden self-imposed hiatus and subsequent loss of their label, their ship seems to have righted itself as they turn in another strong release, this time with the backing of a well-established label. Pinegrove's musical formula, lovingly nurtured over the years by frontman Evan Stephens Hall and longtime collaborator, drummer Zack Levine, remains undiminished.

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Let's get this out of the way early: 'Marigold' is the first album Pinegrove have written since singer Evan Stephens Hall became embroiled in controversy over his admission of sexual coercion. This saw the band shelve their second record 'Skylight' and cease touring for a year, so that Hall could enter therapy and work towards a peaceful resolution with the wronged party. Following the eventual self-release of 'Skylight' and the band's return to performing, they announced their signing to Rough Trade for the release of 'Marigold' and seem to be back on the track to the top that they were firmly on before hitting that speed bump.

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The latest full-length from Montclair, NJ indie band Pinegrove comes with a giant asterisk. At the end of 2017, frontman and primary songwriter Evan Stephens Hall revealed that he had been accused of "sexual coercion" through "verbal and contextual pressure." The victim has not spoken publicly and wishes to remain anonymous, but according to Hall, they requested the band shelve their forthcoming album and take a year's public hiatus during which Hall should seek counselling, all of which Hall and the band agreed to.   Marigold, primarily ….

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Pinegrove arrived on a promise of deep personal connection. One of the band's early songs, "New Friends," begins with singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall scanning the room for anyone he knows. When he can't find a familiar face, it's as if he welcomes members of the audience as fresh confidantes. In a twangy voice that can rise from a bookish murmur to a raspy yawp, he belts, "What's the worst that could happen?" Organized around the core duo of Hall and drummer Zack Levine, two friends who grew up together in a leafy New Jersey township, Pinegrove kept spreading that sense of intimacy through their creaky indie-folk.

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There’s no way to listen to Pinegrove‘s latest album without being aware of a particular elephant in the room. In 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement inspired by the unmasking of Harvey Weinstein, Pinegrove’s lead singer Evan Stephens Hall announced, via a long and rather vague Facebook post, that he had been accused of ‘sexual coercion’. The band immediately placed themselves on hiatus, forthcoming tour dates were cancelled and the release of the band’s third album, Skylight, was put on hold.

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The Lowdown: In late 2017, the New Jersey band Pinegrove received attention for something besides music when singer Evan Stephens Hall announced he'd been accused of "sexual coercion" (verbal, not physical) by a woman with whom he'd had a relationship, revealing few other details. Hall and his accuser reached resolution through a private mediator, and the group dropped out of sight for a year. Now, Pinegrove have returned with their first new recordings since this dark episode cast a shadow over a band beloved for caring and sensitivity.

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