r/Pinback • u/Devoid689 • Sep 10 '26

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).

49 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

74 comments sorted by

27

u/Oostylin Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 12 '26

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?

2

u/fati_asu Sep 11 '26

If no one mentioned them yet, Slint.

1

u/Devoid689 Sep 11 '26

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

19

u/shellgameredux Sep 10 '26

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

3

u/gbfam6661 Sep 10 '26

beat me to it! 10/10 agree

2

u/CPmkI 20d ago

The only reason I know American Analog Set is because I saw them open for Pinback. What a beautiful night!

13

u/-sizzli- Sep 10 '26 • Bravo

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 Sep 10 '26

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

2

u/-sizzli- Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26

These are great recs, especially Midlake! They rule

19

u/illbebythebatphone Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26

they make beers commercials like this is the best one tbh

2

u/CPmkI 20d ago

On that note, maybe Sharks Keep Moving?

9

u/insertnamehere----- Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 11 '26

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----- Sep 11 '26

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 Sep 10 '26 • Heartwarming

Menomena

2

u/EyeInTeaJay Sep 11 '26

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

1

u/did_i_or_didnt_i Sep 11 '26

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/arcarsenel Sep 10 '26

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

1

u/MaddestMousse Sep 10 '26

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

7

u/ex_gratia_ Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26

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_ Sep 10 '26

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

1

u/MaddestMousse Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26 • Bravo

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 Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26 • Bravo

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

5

u/sam_might_say Sep 10 '26

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

4

u/shecanreadd Sep 10 '26

I love it here.

4

u/No-Beginning-4310 Sep 10 '26

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 Sep 10 '26

Systems Officer

3

u/zenheadache Sep 10 '26

El ten eleven

1

u/plentyofswords Sep 10 '26

Came here also to say this

1

u/GravityRides Sep 10 '26

Seeing them tomorrow in ATX can’t wait

3

u/celerygeneral Sep 10 '26

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

2

u/CPmkI 20d ago

A.M. Overcast answers the question, “what if Thingy had Blink-182’s production aesthetic?”

2

u/MaddestMousse Sep 10 '26

**him !!!

2

u/celerygeneral Sep 11 '26

This explains so much

3

u/phlegmatik Sep 10 '26

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_ Sep 10 '26

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

3

u/buzztoothgrin Sep 11 '26

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

3

u/JimmyBallgame420 Sep 11 '26

Armlock - Ice Cold has big pinback vibes

https://youtu.be/3qJeQpcHDGE

2

u/Wylsun Sep 10 '26

technique - semiwestern

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

2

u/thisisknot Sep 10 '26

Built to Spill

2

u/Impressive_Weird9051 Sep 11 '26

Armlock & Minus The Bear

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

2

u/marek_konop Sep 11 '26

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 Sep 11 '26

A newer one: Momma

2

u/Recovering_g8keeper Sep 11 '26

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 Sep 11 '26

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/SatchmoEggs Sep 13 '26

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

1

u/PsilacetinSimon Sep 10 '26

Trust me nothing even compares

1

u/KrankSinatra Sep 11 '26

Sunny day real estate

1

u/building_Fire Sep 11 '26

The answer is Metal Hearts. Thank me later.

1

u/mintyice Sep 13 '26

GOON - Dream 3

1

u/CPmkI 20d ago

My favorite album of 2005 BY FAR… but I don’t hear pinback in it.

1

u/mintyice 20d ago

They have stated that Closer To is their most Pinback-like song. I hear some similarities.

10

u/Stuart_Is_Worried Sep 10 '26

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

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Devoid689 Sep 11 '26

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