Pinback is a San Diego indie rock duo formed in 1998 by Rob Crow and Zach Smith, named for a character in the film Dark Star. Their interlocking guitars, bass, and overlapping vocal harmonies peak on Blue Screen Life (2001) and Summer in Abaddon (2004). Dig into Pinback vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Pinback formed in San Diego, California in 1998 around Rob Crow (also of Heavy Vegetable, Thingy, Goblin Cock, and many other parallel projects) and Zach Smith (also of Three Mile Pilot). The duo's name was taken from the Dark Star (1974 John Carpenter film) character. Their distinctive blend of intricate indie rock guitar work, dual-vocalist harmonies, and mathematical compositional approaches positioned them as a defining act of the late-1990s and 2000s indie rock scene alongside contemporaries like American Football, the Dismemberment Plan, and Spoon. They have been inactive since 2012 with both members pursuing solo and parallel band work.
Pinback's sound combines indie rock, math rock, post-rock, lo-fi indie, indie pop, and alternative rock with Crow and Smith's distinctive dual-vocalist arrangements (use of overlapping vocal harmonies), intricate dual-instrumental compositions, and atmospheric production approaches drawing on classic post-rock and indie rock traditions.
Ace Fu Records, Touch and Go, and Temporary Residence Limited pressings of the Pinback catalog have been issued in color variant editions, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Pinback typically start with Summer in Abaddon (2004) or Autumn of the Seraphs (2007).
