Contributed photo: Pine Barons from southern New Jersey release their debut indie album with folk-rock influence.Recently the A&E editor was contacted by a band wondering if I would be willing to do a review of their debut album.

Always ready to listen to new music, I accepted the challenge.

Pine Barons are four guys hailing from southern New Jersey that have a unique folk-rock/psychedelic feel to them.

For an indie debut album, I am thoroughly impressed by how skilled these guys are. This album has a very mature sound that feels like it should come from a band that has a few albums under its belt.

Every song has its own unique feel. One track has a heavy yacht rock influence and the next track is more experimental, full of perfectly harmonized vocals.

This is daring, but Pine Barons manage to pull it off almost flawlessly. More about that later; for now, let’s talk music.

The band’s third track, “Alpha-Igloo-Bet,” was really the first of many songs that really caught my attention.

The guitar parts during the verse, reminded me of the yacht rock noodling of a Mac DeMarco song.

Those guitars then blend into the wispy, dream-like vocals.

The next track that is worth checking out is “Since I’ve Been Away.”

This track starts out sounding a lot like Johnny Cash and then ends with a big rock sound.

This song discusses a man that can’t be tied down. The lyrics, “Since I been away I wrote a novel in my head” and “I will never keep you waiting, cause right now I need to go away again.”

My only problem with this album was the placement of the song “Chamber Choir.”

Chamber Choir is a low-fi song that was placed in the middle of the album.

Since this song is so different compared to the rest, it really breaks up the natural flow the album.

It would be better off as a bonus track at the end of the album.

Despite that minor song placement issue, I see this album as a solid debut album for an indie label band.

Do yourself a favor and look up the Pine Barons on Band Camp.