Pinegrove aren’t breaking up, but they aren’t going to be a fulltime concern anymore either. The band announced today that drummer Zack Levine, who cofounded Pinegrove with singer-guitarist Evan Stephens Hall, has decided to leave the band. The remaining members have used his departure as a catalyst to pursue some other projects of their own, leading to a de-escalation of Pinegrove activity. “pinegrove is not over, but it seems this era is,” Hall writes in a lengthy note on Instagram. “there’s still a fair amount of studio stuff we’re working on & at some point soon we’ll release some of it. but for now, pg will be on a more casual basis than you may have come to expect. i might do solo performances here & there. but we have no plans to perform as a band right now.”

Read Hall’s full message below.

some changes are afoot in pineland. after a lot of touring in ’22 you may have noticed we’ve been taking some time to regroup. & in the midst of this, our drummer & ultimate bud zack has decided his time with pg has come to a close. we know this wasn’t an easy decision for him & we support him 100%.

there are so many great stories to tell about zack’s time in pg, which ig character limits have conspired to suppress. too many things to say about his signature style—his incredibly melodic sensitivity, his dynamic range, his creativity, his visionary treatment of tempo—to share within the space allotted. & much to mention about his political work within the band & his growing reputation as a hard working organizer outside it!

further reflections can be found in our most recent newsletter & on our website, if you want to catch the full reminiscence. for here, let me just say it’s been an incredible ride traveling the world with you z & i’m so grateful for your contributions to pg over the last 12 years.

so where does this leave the rest of us? to some extent we’re still figuring it out. but i do know we’ll each be doing our own thing for a bit. meg is recording some fire new chuck material & has been working at a LGBTQ youth center. she, more than any of us, is a road dog, & i know wouldn’t mind touring opportunities in the near future. hit her up! sam is making the transition to working full time in the studio as a producer & recordist & is cooking up some exciting projects. hit him up! & me, i’ll be attending an english grad program beginning in the fall & will be in a library. pinegrove is not over, but it seems this era is. there’s still a fair amount of studio stuff we’re working on & at some point soon we’ll release some of it. but for now, pg will be on a more casual basis than you may have come to expect. i might do solo performances here & there. but we have no plans to perform as a band right now. we’re gonna chill a bit, take some time to finish up odds & ends. thanks dear reader for coming to see us play through the years. our listeners are the best any band could hope for & you continue to inspire us as we move into this new chapter
<& evan & pg

Pinegrove’s most recent release was last year’s 11:11.

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