This came out in 2000 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Their name sounds like some sort of hillbilly sibling jug band, but Portland’s Pinehurst Kids are about as country as a skateboard park.
Truth be told, this spunky indie-rock trio have more in common with emo punks like Jimmy Eat World than with Jimmie Rodgers. Singer-guitarist Joe Davis’s songs strike a balance between the noisy churn of punk and the tender melodies and penetrating lyrics of someone who doesn’t need to be shown the meaning of being lonely. And as he spits out all that angst in a fragile voice that recalls Superchunk, the other two Kids add plenty of urgent, driving backbeats to his jangly guitar riffs and big, ringing chords. “It’s a fine line between nice and dumb,” claims Davis. How he would know is anybody’s guess — Pinehurst Kids seem to be one of the few bands around that manage to avoid being either.
