Pinegrove played The Sinclair – 4/26

Ascendant Run For Cover signees Pinegrove headlined the sold-out Sinclair on Tuesday night for their biggest Boston show to date, joined by openers Hovvdy and Horse Jumper of Love. 

Despite hearing the buzz surrounding them, I never caught Pinegrove at any of their prior Boston appearances either as headliners in smaller clubs or in supporting slots, which I quickly realized was a mistake after I became mildly obsessed with Cardinal this past winter. The debut full-length from the Jersey-based band is a brief, bittersweet collision of folk-rock jangle, alt-country drawl and wistful lyricism that hits every mark and boasts seemingly infinite replayability.

On stage Wednesday night, the six-piece band served up nearly all of those songs alongside some early EP selections with the affability and aw-shucks good humor one would expect. They also sounded great, and led an adoring crowd in an evening of passionate singalongs. This show sold out months in advance with good reason, and it’ll be no surprise to see Pinegrove commanding much larger rooms in the near future.

Austin’s Hovvdy – playing Boston for the first time – channeled an aesthetic quite similar to Pinegrove’s, albeit with a bit more keyboard, which made them well-suited to the bill. Boston’s Horse Jumper of Love, who opened the night, continued to impress with their increasingly refined brand of glacially-paced minimalism, evoking the measured intensity of Codeine or early Low. Pinegrove’s Evan Hall remarked that it was the best he’d ever heard them, and I wouldn’t disagree.

Check out photos from all three sets below.