Pacifica's Album, In Your Face! is a Revolution of Recklessness
Photo by Jaxon Whittington
In Your Face! from LA-based Argentine duo Pacifica is an album of recklessness turned to revelation. Powered by the constituent strength of friendship, with juddering guitars, sardonic charm, and an electric push-pull between best friends Inés Adam and Martina Nintzel, the album draws on a unique well of influences, including the raw urgency of early-2000s garage rock, the swagger of post-punk, and the emotional undercurrent of '90s alt. It is instantly recognizable, yet utterly their own. Their second album marks another era for this band, showcasing the evolution of its members and their unique style as they continue to walk the line between the fragile and the defiant, proving that in a broken world, two friends and a couple of guitars can still make something unforgettable with deep emotional resonance.
The album commences with the invigorating "What You Doing." Opening with crashing percussion, racing guitar riffs, and grooving bass lines, the pair paints a picture of miscommunication and the feeling that one's partner just doesn't get it. Rich vocals from Adam croon atop brewing instrumentation, delivering lines such as, "I don't know what I want from you/ You don't know what to say to me," and "While you play your video games/ I keep on watching/'Cause I don't know how to/ Ask for more." She wrestles over what it is she wants and needs, all coming to a head on the eruptive chorus where the duo declare, "Need be on my own/ Need to think on it more/ What you doing to me/ To me, yeah, oh/ We don't talk anymore," and reflect on when and how the relationship went sour.
"Indie Boyz" is chaos personified, inspired by hedonistic nights out that often act as a form of escapism. The track really is about succumbing to these overwhelming feelings on a night out where, really, the point is not to find yourself but to lose yourself. The frenetic rhythm and intoxicating vocals perfectly capture the club atmosphere and, for those who enjoyed a brat summer, might even feel reminiscent of Charli XCX. Ultimately, it captures the essence of a wild night out where the only goal is to let go and have fun, regardless of the consequences.
Other standouts of this thirteen-track body of work include the summery "Fixer Upper," and the emotional "Just No Fun." The former of the two revisits a toxic relationship with some honest, biting self-awareness. In it, the duo question, "I don't understand/ Why would you break something just to fix it up and/ Hey, don't get upset/ You're not my friend and I'm not a fixer upper," over mellow instrumentation and a soft rock vibe. On "Just No Fun," the pair fesses up to chasing drama for the sake of entertainment. Seamless vocal harmonies on the hook from the duo draw the listener into a sultry, rich soundscape. Together, they admit they tried being alone for their own sakes, but it was quite simply "not fun," and they have no choice but to "get back to you."
Overall, this most recent addition to the ever-growing, increasingly impressive discography from this pair is basically a love letter to all of their biggest influences and the love between Adam and Nintzel. It's about their friendship, which drives this project, dissected into songs that explore the most joyful or chaotic moments in this relationship, to capture what it means to feel everything too loudly and to love doing so anyway.
