Photo Credit: Jacqueline Day (@jacquelineday)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // March 23, 2020
With a band name inspired by the west coast, Pacific always manages to transport us to new places through their genuine discography. The alternative indie four-piece from Nashville, Tennessee may not be as recognizable as Judah the Lion or The Band CAMINO, but trust us when we say these fresh rockers will blow your mind. As Pacific leaps into 2020, they’re more than pleased to unleash their incredible new self-titled EP.
To celebrate the release of their new music, we recently chatted with Pacific about the coronavirus, their amazing fans, and of course, their new self-titled EP.
HH: Take us back to 2018 when the four of you finally found each other and became Pacific. How did you all decide on the band name?
P: Wow, “take us back.” Makes me feel like an old man! Haha. The name was actually already there by the time the rest of the guys had joined in. I (Will) released an EP as Pacific that me and my older brother recorded out of his bedroom, but I never wanted to be just a one man band. I always wanted to play with friends. Now they are some of my best friends. The name comes from a list of about 200 different band names on my phone. I picked Pacific because my musical heroes growing up (Jon Foreman and Brandon Boyd) both grew up surfing on the west coast. I thought, “Man, if I can’t grow up by the ocean, I’ll just make one!” And that’s how it came to be. There is a nod to that in our music video for “Crumble” where we “made our own wave” with a blue tarp and some skateboards.
HH: How do you feel now that your self-titled EP is out for the world to listen to?
P: UNREAL. I love to write songs and these were the top five chosen out of about 50+ songs. It also feels extra unique with everything going on with the coronavirus. Some of these songs seem to land even a little harder now that we are all having our lives turned upside down and our plans changed. Especially starting the EP with a song called “it’s all wrong, but it’s alright” and ending the EP with songs about uncertainty and courage in the midst of it. I hope people have more time to actually sit with the songs and play them around their homes.
HH: What we appreciate about your music is your willingness to be vulnerable and open about everything. Can you describe what your writing process is like?
P: That is so cool, wow, that means a lot. The best music to me is the most vulnerable, so thank you, that is a huge compliment. A song never really begins the same way for me. Sometimes it starts with a melody, sometimes with a guitar part or a piano part or a drum groove. The lyrics typically come as all that is being fleshed out. I sometimes have an idea what a song is about before I’ve even put any words down. Other times it takes being patient for when the song wants to come out. A helpful analogy for my writing process would be like sculpting. A sculpture is already there in the stone and you can make a million different sculptures from the one stone. You chisel off the big chucks first and then start to get an idea of what you are creating then you get into the fine chiseling where you have to make a thousand little decisions. But sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I have no clue where songs come from, but they help me a lot to process my life and the mystery of my internal world. I’m always looking for it to make me feel a certain way. Good question!
HH: Every song has its own meaning and significance to you, but do you have a favorite track off the EP?
P: Oooo. Such a hard question. I would have to say it’s between “you never know” and “all up in the air”. “you never know” is one that always gets a crowd smiling (and the band too!), so I love the connection that that one brings. Plus, the goofy and plain lyrics like me being from Texas and living in Nashville now. It’s very easy to follow and I’m not at all sick of singing it. “all up in the air” is one of the most raw songs I’ve ever written. I hope that it offers people a lot of comfort during this time where people are getting laid off left and right, stocks are plummeting, people are worried about if they will have the food they need, the word “recession” is being thrown around — unsure about even what the next couple weeks look like. People often panic when things get out of our control, but I think there is very little that is actually in our control whether life is good or bad. All is a gift and I’m learning to make a home in the unknown. I just pray that people make the most of it.
HH: If you could collaborate with anyone in the music industry, who would you pick?
P: Oh wow. Can I say a few? I’m so bad at making one choice with questions like these. I think I would have to say Chris Martin, Matt Healy, or Kendrick Lamar. Those have been some of my biggest inspirations in the last few years. All very different, but all brilliant in what they do.
HH: With everything going on in the world right now, how can your fans support you?
P: The best way our fans can help us right now is just keep engaging. We exist to be a voice of courage and hope in whatever state the world is at the moment and we hope our fans will do the same for those around them. We hope our songs can be a vehicle of that kind of connection and love between people who are far away from each other right now. We are doing fine, praise God. We are going to keep making music, adapting to what our people need most right now. Just keep the conversation going!
HH: What are your three hidden hits?
P: I’m gonna rep some of my Nashville people.
“Oslo” by De Joie — Kaley is her real name. An amazing artist. Will take you to another world!
“Twenty Two and Some Change” by Stephen Day — We played a show with Stephen in the middle of 2018. He is hilarious and very genuine.
“Shoulda Known Better” by Gabi DiPace — Gabi is an incredible pop artist and has an amazing spirit. And I think this song buuumps.
The Hidden Hits 