PacesTHREE SUMMERS

Absence has made the heart and imagination grow stronger for Australian producer and performer Paces on his third full-length album THREE SUMMERS.

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Formerly a pop and electronic sonic wizard, showcased on 2018’s ZAG and 2016’s Vacation, the unexpected challenges and confronting realities of the pandemic years saw Paces, aka Mikey Perry, step away from music and creating in general and teeter on the precipice of leaving it all behind. But in a genuine phoenix moment, Paces rose from the ashes of mental health struggles and the world around, instead finding a brand new lease on life making music; the results of which burn brightly on the charming and honest melancholia that coats THREE SUMMERS. 

Opening with its title track, THREE SUMMERS firmly introduces portions of the new Paces sonic direction: vulnerable punk and Perry himself on vocals for the first time on his own material, with the combo proving to be both affecting and arresting alongside the track’s earworm chorus. Whether dabbling in nostalgic pop punk (LISTS), pulsing gloss (BRAIN GOT HANDS), future-bass-meets-hyperpop flow (ADRIFT), or emo heartbreakers (SILVER LINING), Paces displays a nimble and engaging take on a broad range of stylistic inspirations. And with a youthful twinkle beneath his self-described “sad-dad” punk, THREE SUMMERS feels like we, the listener, are constantly diving gently through pages of an intimate journal, with pieces of blink-182, Kenny Hoopla and Dashboard Confessional fused throughout the striking catharsis.

Like catching up with an old friend after many years apart, THREE SUMMERS is a comforting visit brilliantly outside the comfort zone – and a very welcome return from one of Australia’s finest.

For an artist previously and dominantly associated with festival bangers and sumptuous club, pop, and EDM flavours, THREE SUMMERS initially may feel foreign, albeit welcoming. But while there’s still glimmers of the Paces luminous past on the likes of BUTTERFLIES or the buoyant electronics on REDACTED, the overall take-home sensation is one that feels matured yet creatively curious, and undeniably proves that Paces is a rare creative chameleon, capable of appeasing the mainstream as much as delve into his personal depths and emerge with something truly wonderful. Like catching up with an old friend after many years apart, THREE SUMMERS is a comforting visit brilliantly outside the comfort zone – and a very welcome return from one of Australia’s finest.

STANDOUT TRACKS: LISTS, BRAIN GOT HANDS, SILVER LINING
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