Getting To Know... Pacing

Following on from a bright and inventive array of offerings over the last few years, Pittsburgh-based artist Pacing recently returned to deliver her breezy new effort 'Sunny'.

Channelling a rich and driven bedroom-pop aesthetic from start to finish, 'Sunny' makes for a wonderfully warm and enticing listen. With her fresh and vibrant vocals riding a bed of sweet and laid-back production, her new release certainly leaves us dreaming of summer days under the evening sun.

So with the new single available now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has been inspiring her most over the years.

-

What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Well when I was in elementary school I played a cardboard mountain dulcimer in the school bluegrass ensemble. Florida, am I right? I would skip ahead in the song book and learn songs we hadn’t gotten to yet, and I thought I was going to get in trouble.

What kind of music did you love when you were younger?

My mom would play Louis Armstrong around the house. Cheesecake gobble gobble cheesecake gobble gobble cheesecake (cheesecake). hahhaha. We also loved Kodachrome by Paul Simon.

What was the first album you remember owning?

Avril Lavigne - Let Go! I picked it out at Walmart when I was ~8 because I liked the cover art, and it did not disappoint. I freaking love every song on Let Go and Under My Skin. I was obsessed with her. I also weirdly had a Counting Crows compilation album that I still know all the words to.

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

Hmmmmmm. Graceland by Paul Simon. “She comes back to tell me she's gone. As if I didn't know that!”

Or the one where he says “She was physically forgotten then she slipped into my pocket with my car keys.” All of Graceland.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

I actually try not to try to write new music because it doesn’t usually go well. I don’t make myself do anything creative unless I feel like it. Right now I’m not in a writing phase at all and that's okay. But I do still collect little thoughts and ideas all the time in my notes app for when I feel like getting back to it.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Let’s see, let me try to actually answer this honestly haha. Jordana is my #1 forever, so I am dying for her new album. I recently found this record I adore from this girl named Grace Ward on Disposable America. You should interview her, she’s much cooler than me.

90% of the music I listen to is women, and the other 10% is Modern Baseball.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Unfortunately I suck live! I think this is a studio project for now. But I choose illuminati hotties, she’s so freaking fun. I want to open for her while she is opening for Julien Baker. Also they can both be my live band. Oooo and I want the bass player from Weakened Friends.

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Ooo! Meeting cool strangers on the internet. I’ve met a lot of people I consider friends now, and found so much music that I love. I met this one dude on Tiktok who does videography for NASCAR. An Indian electronic duo from Reddit asked me to collab with them.

Yesterday I was hanging out in Dirty Organ’s music review Twitch stream.

I just feel like I am a part of some kind of community, which is cool because I am currently in the process of moving across the country. Oh yeah, I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned yet that I live in a Honda Fit. That’s definitely the most interesting thing about me.

And what is the most frustrating part?

There are days /weeks / months where you experience a bunch of rejection at once. It’s easier when it is spread out. Sometimes you get rejected from every blog, playlist, sync agency you submitted to, and simultaneously streams are down, and holy shit never ever check your popularity scores on Music Stax.

My strategy is to do enough things at once that usually something is going okay. And of course you can always turn off the dang phone.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

“Just keep swimming” - Dory, Finding Nemo, 2003.

-

Pacing's new single 'Sunny' is available to stream now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.