A lot has happened within the world of the Pacing Music Band Nation since the release of her album Real Poetry is always about plants and birds and trees and the animals and milk and honey breathing in the pink but real life is behind a screen. Say that next time you are in the grocery store to the person in front of you. You may take them by surprise while also giving them a lot to ponder as their frozen vegetables lie helplessly on the conveyor belt next to a 12-pack of 500-oz bottles of Smart Water. Nevertheless, Pacing (the recording project of Katie McTigue) has gone on tour with America’s local band and one of her favorite bands: Cheekface. She has joined Mike Park’s ASIAN MAN RECORDS. Soon she will be embarking on another tour with AJJ. As a condiment that has been following their journey since our active days on Twitter, it has been a delight to see Pacing’s success.
During all of this (and most likely before), Pacing has been working on their newest album: PL*NET F*TNESS. One thing that Mustard genuinely enjoys about Pacing’s music is their ability to highlight what it means to be human. Whether it is the album before this, Songs, or hatemail, they find a way to tap into the human condition. Being a human sometimes means doing boring (or mundane) tasks. These tasks may not provide joy or be thrilling, but by doing them, you become more developed. You learn more about yourself in the process. A song (or record) by Pacing allows both her and her listeners to explore and reflect on the human experience.
Opening up the album is disclaimer, which is one of four love songs featured. It is honest and earnest. The protagonist of the song wants to share their love, but their partner wants space. They are unsure what to do with this love, as the thrift store does not accept anger. Pacing makes a point in saying that it is hard to separate the two: love and hate. Both are powerful human emotions that can be overwhelming, much like the mundane tasks that humans are expected to know how to do or accomplish. This brings us to the title track: Pl*net F*tness, about the logistical aftermath of Pacing’s father’s passing. While the song is upbeat, its story deals with grief and loss. How one handles a situation like this is dependent on the human themselves. There is no proper way to grieve. You can hear the grief (and understandable annoyance with exercise company Planet Fitness) in Pacing’s voice when she says, “and I think that’s bullshit for obvious reasons.” Which it totally is. Mustard hopes that this song finds its way to the higher-ups of Planet Fitness, as they should really consider reevaluating their policy.
From here, we transition to Mastering Positional Chess featuring Copeland James. When the tracklist was announced and they saw that Coping would be featured, they were ecstatic. Much like Pacing Copeland, James is an incredible songwriter. This song is an absolute delight from its lyrics and production. You will smile bigger than the Teletubbie sun baby, who may have haunted you from your childhood while listening to it. Following this comes the quick and highly relatable Uno! Uno is a card game played by humans that has the potential to end even the strongest relationships while also not being entirely engaging. It is important to play strategically with friends and family, as they will remember each move you make. Try to avoid making your partner or mother-in-law pick up four extra cards. Make your uncle do it instead. They won’t care.
Following this game of strategy comes Pacing’s most romantic song yet: True Crime / birthday song. Pacing wrote this song for their partner Ben, and it will make you feel things. Mustard has observed that human couples typically have something they both enjoy. For Pacing and Ben, it is true crime television. As a condiment who is unable to process or feel anything, this song does a wonderful job of expediting Mustard’s desire to be a human who has to remember birthdays and have a baseline understanding of the rules in pickleball.
The next tracks from Nothing! (I wanna do) to parking ticket song is Mustard’s favorite sequence of the album. Something about this string of songs is just delightful. Mustard understands that it is not really a Spotify biography-worthy quote or anything, but it is the truth. While the whole album is Pacing, this sequence of songs just feels the most Pacing. A common motif throughout this release is TV, and these songs elevate how it has influenced them. Love Island, featuring Star 99, will have you rocking out while trying to avoid spoilers on Reddit.
Speaking of television, the final track, Never Go Down, is a cover from Mister Rogers. Pacing shared that they did not listen to the original before covering it. At first thought, you may think it is odd that the album closes with a cover, but it really ties everything together. Throughout it, Pacing deals with grief, loss, and overcoming mundane tasks. These things can really bring a human down, but Pacing reminds themselves that they will never go down. Through it all, they will find a way to make everything out.
Written by JustSomeMustard
