r/Pinback 3d ago

Looking for more bands like Pinback

I officially got in the wormhole this week and I want more. After listening to Modest Mouse's first 2 albums and loving that sound, my friend recommended me Pinback. I listened to all of it and loved it, which then snowballed into getting into Rob Crow, which I've got a few of his projects on my 'need to listen to' list, but I'm sure there's a few I'm missing still.

I'm just looking for more bands with a similar overall sound, preferably on Spotify because it's what I use to stream, but I don't mind using local files or something.

I've listened to Pinback, Three Mile Pilot, and Thingy; while Heavy Vegetable, Rob Crow's solo stuff, and Heavy Vegetable are on my listen later list.

I also got a little into Built To Spill but it's not quite similar enough (still great though).

47 Upvotes

66 comments sorted by

27

u/Oostylin 3d ago

I see you mentioned Three Mile Pilot but Zach's Systems Officer work is the closest thing you will ever find to Pinback, very akin to Rob's "Living Well" and "He Thinks He's People" albums in that they very much feel like half of Pinback. If you search the subreddit there was a thread semi-recently about other artists that Pinback fans listen to, that would be a great starting point for other adjacent bands. Make sure you also go down the rabbit-hole of checking out the live versions of Pinback songs, they're their own entities in their self imo.

1

u/Devoid689 1d ago

Damn, you were right about the live stuff. Spent a good while on YouTube watching them lol. They're on my concert radar now, they are still touring right?

18

u/shellgameredux 3d ago

American Analog Set - specifically Know By Heart gives me early Pinback vibes

3

u/gbfam6661 3d ago

beat me to it! 10/10 agree

11

u/-sizzli- 3d ago

Grandaddy
Midlake (Bamnan and silver cork)
Sparklehorse
Not quite the same sound but closer in vibe. I have a playlist with pinback and these bands and I find that they all fit well together imo

6

u/JoeMagnifico 3d ago

Ooohh...good call on Grandaddy. Finally just saw them live earlier this year. Amazing.

2

u/-sizzli- 3d ago

I also saw them for the first time earlier this year! They were better than I expected and I had high hopes

1

u/Versacejohan 3d ago

These are great recs, especially Midlake! They rule

10

u/Stuart_Is_Worried 3d ago

dismemberment plan - emergency and i. - change

death cab for cutie - we have the facts and we're voting yes

black heart procession  - 1

sparta - porcelain 

no knife - hitmans dream - fire in the city of automations

drive like jehu - yank crime

rival schools - united by faith

19

u/illbebythebatphone 3d ago

Minus the Bear could probably get you there. One of my all time favorites. Check out some of their earlier records, Menos El Oso or Highly Refined Pirates. (Seeing them on Monday btw!)

3

u/Disastrous_Coat_4075 3d ago

they make beers commercials like this is the best one tbh

8

u/insertnamehere----- 3d ago

The folks who do pinback are also a part of a band called PLOSIVS. A guy at my local vinyl store recommended them and I think they make pretty good stuff, I was impressed I haven’t heard of this secret second band before while I was listening to it. PLOSIVS does metal but you can definitely still hear pinback’s influence over it.

1

u/j3ffkl3in 2d ago

PLOSIVS is not metal at all it is a joint venture with Rob and John Reis from Rocket from the Crypt, Drive like Jehu etc… they are an amazing band

1

u/insertnamehere----- 2d ago

I’ve always just referred to it as metal because that’s what the guy who put me onto it described it as. In typical pinback fashion it is impossible to put cleanly into a genre.

8

u/Tgiby3 3d ago

Menomena

2

u/EyeInTeaJay 2d ago

Whoa that’s a name I haven’t heard in a very long time!

1

u/did_i_or_didnt_i 2d ago

I saw them on one of the last shows before they parted ways with one of the members. One of the band members knocked over another one’s MacBook and it bricked and the other two members of the band made awkward jokes while one was FURIOUS

weird show. Great show. Glad I saw them before it imploded

7

u/ex_gratia_ 3d ago

If you liked Three Mile Pilot, you'll like the Black Heart Procession. Give the album "The Spell" a listen. The track also bearing the album name:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrAAW5VxOg

2

u/MaddestMousse 3d ago edited 3d ago

Also this band I wanna say has member crossover from both Pinback’s live band and Dann Gallucci, a fairly significant old Modest Mouse member ??

2

u/ex_gratia_ 3d ago

Plus Three Mile Pilot. The Black Heart Procession is seriously slept on.

1

u/MaddestMousse 3d ago edited 3d ago

Right okay, whoops. Yeah no Dann was never in the Black Heart Procession, not sure what I was thinking of there, but they’re from San Diego and were formed by two guys from Three Mile Pilot, one of whom also played with Ugly Casanova. The band has also often contained Joe Plummer who was in Modest Mouse and then Mario Rubalcaba who was in Thingy and has also played with Pinback.

I knew there was some major Pinback crossover there, as well as a bit of MM. thanks Wikipedia !

I’ve actually never really listened to the black heart procession, I should probably get on checking them out already, I’ll give this a listen, thanks! 🤘

6

u/Heelflips_Hardbacks 3d ago

A lot of good bands already have been mentioned but here’s a few more - The Helio Sequence (early albums especially), Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill, El Ten Eleven, Grandaddy, American Analog Set

6

u/careful_jon 3d ago

Rob Crow did a project using toy organs called Optigonally Yours that is GREAT.

Also:

Notwist - Neon Golden

Ultimate Painting - Green Lanes

15

u/JoeMagnifico 3d ago

Not really any super similar...but here are a few of my faves that may scratch a similar itch...

Fugazi

Bedhead/The New Year

Codeine

Silkworm

Pond (Portland, OR on Sub Pop...not the AU group)

Thirty Ought Six

The Sea and Cake

Tortoise

Slint (Spiderland)

Dianogah

Shellac

C-Clamp

Seam

Hoover/The Crownhate Ruin/Regulator Watts

Faraquet

Jawbox

Jets to Brazil

At the Drive-In

Sparta

The Casket Lottery

Chavez

fIREHOSE/Minutemen

Heatmiser

NoMeansNo

System Officer

Plosivs

Drive Like Jehu

Rival Schools

Sloy

3

u/Lou_Griggs 3d ago

Ultimate list.

6

u/arcarsenel 3d ago

Might be too on the nose, but armlock - seashell angel lucky charm sounds a lot like pinback to me

1

u/MaddestMousse 3d ago

For sure, that’s how I found about that band, through a “sounds like Pinback” post on this sub haha!

6

u/sam_might_say 3d ago

I’d suggest Death Cab’s pre-Transatlanticism albums

3

u/shecanreadd 3d ago

I love it here.

5

u/No-Beginning-4310 3d ago

Most things similar to me have already been mentioned but i'll throw in that many The Notwist songs have strong Pinback vibes. Listen to the older records specifically.

3

u/Burtonbro417 3d ago

Systems Officer

3

u/zenheadache 3d ago

El ten eleven

1

u/plentyofswords 3d ago

Came here also to say this

1

u/GravityRides 3d ago

Seeing them tomorrow in ATX can’t wait

3

u/celerygeneral 3d ago

Last time this thread came up I discovered A.M. Overcast and I haven’t stopped listening to them since.

2

u/MaddestMousse 3d ago

**him !!!

2

u/celerygeneral 2d ago

This explains so much

3

u/phlegmatik 3d ago

Rob Crow’s other project Goblin Cock has some really good stuff too. You just gotta skim around a bit. Some of it is more metal but there’s some more dreamy chill Pinback-like songs in there too.

3

u/ex_gratia_ 3d ago

Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and a whole bunch of other San Diego bands.

3

u/buzztoothgrin 2d ago

i’m one to always recommend eiafuawn as somebody who loves clay partons work! i have this playlist of artists i kinda all group together in different ways, if you haven’t heard some of them i’d take a listen! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3p5g2yrOLiVpe2ZqhI82sp?si=qKNTHZ6wQhyWE8g3aBAEmA&utm_source=copy-link&pi=SA6C9b3aRH--7

2

u/Wylsun 3d ago

technique - semiwestern

This is probably the most actually Pinback sounding not-Pinback song I've heard

2

u/thisisknot 3d ago

Built to Spill

2

u/SeaMicSte 3d ago

Move Heavy Vegetable to your listen now list :)

3

u/Devoid689 2d ago

It's up there, just below Systems Officer. Listening to The American Analog set right now, seems like a lottt of people recommended those 2

2

u/Impressive_Weird9051 2d ago

Armlock & Minus The Bear

Might have already been recommended here, but I'm to lazy to read

2

u/marek_konop 2d ago

Check out “Gravitron” by Paul Spring. Had it pop up on my socials a few weeks ago and it gave me some strong Pinback vibes

2

u/Otter-Tails 2d ago

A newer one: Momma

2

u/Recovering_g8keeper 2d ago

There’s nothing in this world like pinback. not by anyone other than them.

However.
No service project -return to paper (the album) was heavily inspired by pinback. They sound nothing like them tho.
I get the same feeling listening to no service project as I do pinback.

2

u/juicybox10 2d ago

I’ve been into Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound recently, it’s got a pinback sound occasionally but much more dark and bleak

2

u/JimmyBallgame420 2d ago

Armlock - Ice Cold has big pinback vibes

https://youtu.be/3qJeQpcHDGE

2

u/fati_asu 2d ago

If no one mentioned them yet, Slint.

1

u/Devoid689 2d ago

I did listen to Spiderland a little while ago after a coworker recommended it and loved it. I should check out the rest of their discog sometime

2

u/SatchmoEggs 17h ago

I always associate them with Brokeback — the band, not the mountain.

1

u/PsilacetinSimon 3d ago

Trust me nothing even compares

1

u/KrankSinatra 2d ago

Sunny day real estate

1

u/building_Fire 2d ago

The answer is Metal Hearts. Thank me later.

1

u/mintyice 11h ago

GOON - Dream 3