Song taken from band’s first album in half
a decade; See explosive performance video via
Glide; Record release show scheduled for Atlanta on Feb. 18.
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Matthew
Schwartz of Pacifico as
photographed by Mike Dunn for Rust + Rebel
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Pacifico | “Comatose”
See
the video for “Comatose” by Pacifco at Glide
Magazine or the link above!
Glide
Magazine premieres
the video for “Comatose,” a “standout
track” from the upcoming the Pacifico
album Self Care, saying Matthew
Schwartz, “conveys a sense of wisdom in the lyrics, which he sings in a way
that is both jaded and exuberant to capture the mood. With its bouncy bass line
and plenty of explosive guitar flourishes, the song ultimately feels like a
cathartic rocker that finds its singer coming to terms with his current
position in life.”
Schwartz says, “‘Comatose’
is about making healthy boundaries and ending an abusive relationship, which
for me, has been with the music industry. The video is a visual representation
of the lyrics, where we see the band is enjoying performing, but the business
slowly takes away our joy and we disappear. Recently, I’ve learned it’s okay to
say no, to protect your energy, time, and overall wellbeing, and even though Self
Care was written as if it was to be my last album, now I’m not sure if
it is!”
Matthew
Schwartz of Pacifico is available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information.
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Pacifico
Self
Care
(Pacifirecords)
Feb. 10, 2023
Track Listing:
01. Self Care (Intro)
05. Hearts On Fire
06. Lola
08. Haunt You (feat. Dolour)
09. I’m So Gone
10. Agoraphobia
11. Run
12. Complicated, Confiscated
13. Leave (Outro)
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Pacifico | Live
02/18/2023: Atlanta, GA @ Smith’s Olde Bar (Record Release Show) (Tickets)
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Pacifico | About
When we last heard from Matthew Schwartz of Pacifico on his early 2022 EP release “‘05/‘22,” we were hearing the Matthew Schwartz of Pacifico from 17 years earlier.
True to the title, much of that explosive batch of songs was recorded in 2005, misplaced via hard drive in the pre-cloud era, then eventually found, completed, and released.
On the upcoming full-length Self Care (Pacifirecords, Feb. 10, 2023), now sounds like NOW.
Schwartz’s first full-length in five years comes with all of the pent-up emotion one would expect from meticulously composing a statement under the veil of cleaning out a desk drawer of old material (literally, in this case.)
“Wait
Hold my beer
There’s so many things I’d love to say if I don’t just walk away from here”
The lyrics, from one of the album’s upcoming singles “Comatose,” shares an energy with early-2000s skate punk, but from the wise perspective of a now mature voice who would naturally follow-up the above lyric with:
“You used to be such a good friend
So I’ve taken it upon myself to grab things and call this the end”
That’s what self-care is about.
“The lyrics on this album all center on self-care,” Schwartz confirms. “This is the most diverse and most vulnerable group of songs I have ever created.”
The album isn’t called Self Help for a reason. It’s Self Care, and there’s a difference.
From songs about not giving up, to going for your goals, to being a present listener and creating healthy boundaries, Self Care reflects a willingness to enjoy the journey, come what may.
“It’s also about encouraging and loving others,” Schwartz says.
“It’s ok
None of this matters anyway
We all make mistakes
Hell I just made more than three today”
A song written for his wife, these lyrics come from the so-catchy-it’s-criminal “Don’t Play Dead,” the lead single from Self Care.
“It’s my letter of encouragement to her,” Schwartz explains. “I also want this song to encourage anyone who becomes stuck.”
That’s what self-care is about.
Self Care, the album, however, isn’t all about straight up the middle earworms.
The various styles that Schwartz and his world-class collaborators stich seamlessly include genres from 1950s to tomorrow.
Some of the artists and musicians who worked on Self Care include Peter Randall (bassist with Seal, Adele, and The Kooks) and Shane Tutmarc of Dolour (featured on the track “Haunt You,” in addition to providing backing vocals, keys, and percussion.) Self Care was mixed by Aaron Sprinkle, best known as a platinum record-earning and chart-topping producer, with artwork is by Adult Swim’s Trey Wadsworth.
“There are fast punk songs, slow acoustic ballads, strings, piano, horns, and everything in-between,” Schwartz says.
“Hearts on Fire” is a soulful detour near the end of the album’s first half that shows off the nimble dexterity of the writing and playing here. Calling Jeff Buckley, Lenny Kravitz, and Janelle Monae’s sounds as influences on the song, it fades with the glory of a choir.
“Complicated, Confiscated,” the album’s penultimate song, is clearly a nod to Elliott Smith. A plaintive acoustic number, it is rendered with as much respect as the legendary songwriter commands (and with as much beauty.) Schwartz’s empathetic connection to Smith runs deep.
“Complicated
This picture’s faded
I’m all but gone from here right now”
“‘Complicated, Confiscated’ expresses exactly how I feel when I am overcome with depression,” Schwartz confides. I have used this song by singing it like a mantra to help me work through tough times.”
And that’s what Self Care is about.
Self Care, the fourth full-length album by Atlanta-based Pacifico arrives Feb. 10, 2023 preceded by the singles “Don’t Play Dead” (Out Now), “Afterglow” (Out Now), “Comatose” (Out Now), and “Complicated, Confiscated” (Jan. 27).
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Pacifico | “Afterglow”
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Pacifico | “Don’t Play Dead”
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“This song is about addiction,” Matthew Schwartz of Pacifico
says of “Feel Alive,” the lead track
from Self
Care, his first album in five years (scheduled for release via Pacifirecords on Feb. 10, 2023.)
Owing to the album’s candor and blunt honesty, Schwartz reveals, “It’s me trying to
imagine what it’s like to lead my first AA meeting.”
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Pacifico | Links
