17-year span from start to finish of “‘05/‘22” reconnected Schwartz with his younger
self, “a man trying to find his way in a world he’s not familiar with.”
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Split-screen
of Pacifico’s Matthew Schwartz illustrates the “how it started / how it’s
going” story behind Pacifico’s “‘05/‘22” EP.
Photographs from 2005 (L) and 2022 (R) by
Daniel Stabler
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Pacifico
“‘05/‘22” EP
(Pacifirecords)
Out Now
Streaming Link:
Track Listing:
01. The Time Has Come My Lover / Alone (STREAM)
02. Suddenly / Back At The Start (STREAM)
03. The Red Eye / We Won’t Go Back Here (STREAM)
04. Needing And Waiting / Carnival
05. Move On / V2
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Pacifico | About
17 years is a long time to make an EP.
Pacifico’s upcoming “‘05/’22”
EP – the title being a literal nod to the how it started / how it’s going
nature of the record –arrives June 3,
2022 on the Atlanta-based artist’s own Pacifirecords.
What was the artist-in-charge, Matthew Schwartz doing during the 17 years since beginning this Pacifico release in 2005 and completing
it in 2022?
He was doing Pacifico.
Huh?
Indeed, this is the story of a lost hard drive.
Musicians don’t do back-ups, after all.
Teamed with Jeremiah
Edmond, Schwartz’s musical
cohort in 2005 just prior to Edmond
joining Manchester Orchestra, the
recordings that have now been realized as the “‘05/’22” EP were initially intended to become the debut Pacifico album.
Schwartz was undeterred when the project was derailed. Quite
the opposite, he went on to release three full-length Pacifico albums and eight EPs, along with a handful of standalone
singles and compilation appearances.
These high intensity, high production value recordings
were made with many of Schwartz’s
heroes, including Jason Martin of Starflyer 59, Ronnie Martin of Joy
Electric, Peter Randall (bassist
with The Kooks and Adele), and many more. Compelling
artwork during this time was beautifully rendered by Adult Swim’s Trey Wadsworth.
Inspired by rock influences as beloved, popular, and
revered as Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Weezer to songwriting powerhouses such as Jeff Buckley, Jeremy Enigk,
and Elliott Smith, it’s not
surprising that Pacifico songs found
their way into films, television, and video games.
Unlike the “‘05/’22”
EP, these recordings were backed up!
But it’s okay, because in 2020, while everyone was
working on sourdough starter during lockdown, Schwartz’s collaborator from the beginning of this story, Jeremiah Edmond, found that missing
hard drive.
Unintentionally, the “‘05/’22” EP embodies the same conceit as the Richard Linklater film “Boyhood,”
in which the director got together with his actors every few years to shoot
more footage, resulting in a final film where we see the actual and realistic
aging and maturing of the characters within the story.
Similarly, once Schwartz
was reunited with his technology, he wasted no time bringing in his current
band members, C Jason Mask (Guitar,
Vocals) and Wes Clifton (Bass,
Vocals) to pick up right where the previous recordings left off. The result is
a unique document where youthful exuberance and experienced professionalism
meet. The songs are melodic, addictive toe-tappers that say things that only
adults can say.
As a visual representation that perfectly suits the
story, the two images comprising the photo collage of Schwartz that accompanies the release were both shot by
photographer Daniel Stabler, one in
2005 and the other in 2022. Even the song titles support the theme, each being
named for the placeholder title it was given in 2005 and the final title given
in 2022.
“Suddenly /
Back At The Start” is the first
single taken from the “‘05/’22” EP,
in which Schwartz sings, “All these
nothings they meant more than me than a million somethings ever could be.”
“The song was lost for many years and only found
towards the beginning of the pandemic,” Schwartz
reminds us, true to form.
Fortunately, what was apparently nothing for the last
17 years is very much something now.
“‘05/’22,” the new EP by Pacifico
is out now via Pacifirecords.
Matthew
Schwartz of Pacifico is available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information.
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Pacifico | Links
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