The Lower Aetna -- Pine
The Lower Aetna tell the stories of queer folks making their way through the isolating wilds of the Pine Barrens in their gorgeous collection of character portraits: Pine
South Jersey is, by all accounts, a strange place. It's a rural pocket in some of the most highly-industrialized areas of the country, and a seeming stone's throw from New York City – the global center of wealth. But what happens when people get left behind?
We spoke with lead singer Dylan Gallimore last summer about Pine, a collection of stories set in this nether realm. The band flits comfortably between the anthemic beats of Springsteen and the Gaslight Anthem and a gentle, folky twang.
"Water Moccasins" features Gallimore's gravelly voice to great effect, highlighting the angst of aimless adolescence and everything that gets lost after. "Kelsey" is a moving ballad of love, grief, and our responsibility towards those who are still with us – all delivered with dream compassion. Conversely, "Blood Moon" is a Neil Young-inspired anthem of queer passion at the end of the Cold War. "Note From Dad" is a brilliant spoken word-style piece about the inequalities that cause our generation's dreams to die on the vine while our Boomer parents scratch their heads in confusion.
No matter the stylistic differences in each song, Pine delivers a unified core: we are all mired in a shame and isolation that is not ours to bear. Rather, it's the inheritance of a world that grinds us into smaller and smaller pieces in its gears while blaming us for the squeeze. If there's one thing that can disrupt that squeeze, it's finding ways to be ourselves, and finding ways to love.
