“Follows in the playful, tongue-in-cheek tradition of the likes of Kimya Dawson, yet always nudges the ideas further to be more than mere twee humour or sardonic fun.” That’s how we described the music of Katie McTigue’s Pacing when writing about recent track, ‘Bite Me‘. Because, though the project might catch the attention with its irreverence and wit, there’s clearly more going on beneath the surface. Bathed in the soul-sucking strangeness and banality of the world we call home, sincerity is so often denatured into silliness. So why not fight back with the polar opposite? Invert irony on itself to say something earnest, even profound?
New single ‘Live / Laugh / Love’ captures the mission perfectly. A song about learning to hold your tongue for fear of sounding stupid, or uncool, or too cool, or anti-social. About self-doubt and the impossibility of owning a house, and the way precariousness becomes plain boring once you are too old to dream any romance around it. And most importantly, about how we are trapped within this unbearable space with no way to communicate what we feel. Because unsatisfied with our money and attention and time, capitalism has come for everything else too. The song’s title offers a textbook example of the way in which human words and feelings are commodified and in turn reduced to mush. “How come people who throw stones / Always have the coolest homes?” McTigue asks before raising a shuddering possibility: “Maybe I’m the kind of person who buys pillows that say “Live. Laugh. Love.”
Live Laugh Love
I put the pillow over my face
Live Laugh Love
And I just scream into the lace
Don’t worry I’m just having fun
Hope I’m not bugging anyone
‘Live / Laugh / Love’ is out now and available from the Pacing Bandcamp page.