No. 1
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Circles Around A Square
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xGU16x
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Rediscovering The Telephone
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Everything's Fine
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Pasternak
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Lonely Critics
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The Long Drop
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The first EP from Pacer. BUY 10" (UK) BUY 10" (USA)
"Wait, a Dave House-related release getting a positive review on Punktastic? No shocks here, I think Dave is about the only artist ever to pretty much be guaranteed to get a great review every time any of us writes about one of his projects. Pacer, just like his solo stuff and The Steal, have written an EP of great songs that will be lapped up by many PT-ers.
Pacer remind me a lot of Lifetime which is most certainly a very good thing. 'Everythings Fine', in particular, has a Kid Dynamite/Lifetime feel to it which means it's perfect for getting on the motorway and cracking it up loud. The band themselves claim to be influenced by Bouncing Souls and The Descendents and there's certainly a little bit of the former in the vocals - 'Pasternak' especially. 'Lonely Critics' is the only song that sounds remotely like The Steal, everything else is a little bit longer, perhaps a little slower and more melodic too. It's a consistently great release and it's no wonder the band have been picked up by Chunksaah Records.
If The Steal were a little bit too quick and you like your punk to be melodic and of the fist-in-the-air variety, Pacer will be your number 1..." 4/5 Punktastic
"In an age where every punk band seems to think they need keys, strings, and who knows what else to stay relevant, Pacer keeps the punk rock simple, which in this listener’s mind is a good thing. “No. 1” is an EP that will satisfy the punk fan’s desire for some good old fashion punk music.
“No. 1” opens with the excellent ‘Circles Around A Square’, a straight ahead punk song that grabs the listener’s attention and won’t let go. Another highlight is ‘Rediscovering The Telephone’, a simple, almost pop-punk song that is about as catchy as anything this listener has heard this year.
The true gem on “No. 1” is ‘Pasternak’, a jam that is two and a half minutes of melodic punk heaven. It’s the perfect blend of punk sensibility and pop punk sheen. ‘Lonely Critics’ will dispel any beliefs that Pacer is a pop-punk band, though. It’s a fast-paced, one minute track that’s probably the weakest on “No. 1”.
Fans enjoy it when hearing a song instantly brings back a fond memory, and so does this listener. Pacer did that exact thing the instant this listener pushed play." 4/5 Alter The Press.com
"Pacer is a pop punk band straight out of London, and their record No. 1 is one of the best albums of the genre, that I’ve heard in a long time. I went in not knowing what to expect but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by every single track. Chunksaah Records put this out and they brought some of the best new pop punk around across the pond. The instrumentals were all catchy and the vocals are raspy but it all comes together to make some enjoyable tracks.
The tracks run the gamut from being more subdued and mellow to loud, fast, and aggressive. This balance of tracks keeps things fresh throughout and never leaves you feeling bored and the songs are quick but leave you feeling satisfied like any good pop punk song should. It is this quality that made me keep coming back and listening over and over again.
No. 1 by Pacer is one of the better records I’ve had the pleasure of listening to this year. If I had to relate the sound to another band I would have to say it sounds like the Lawrence Arms with a hearty injection of street punk. Something about it is so addictive I just keep listening over and over. Maybe it’s the group vocals, or maybe the instrumentals, but either way I would have to definitely recommend this to any pop punk fan." 4/5 Stereokiller.com
"It’s hard for me to write about a record with any sort of conviction before listening to it enough times to really comprehend it. That inability is one of the reasons I find myself listening to the debut Pacer EP, No. 1 almost anytime I leave the house. The other reason, of course, is that it’s infectious.
Pacer is best known as the first Dave House-fronted band to emerge from the smoldering rubble of The Steal. That is, until people actually listen to No. 1. Although the EP does have some leftover hardcore tendencies from The Steal, most notably “Lonely Critics”, the songs are largely slowed down and as such are finally able to breath on their own without whizzing past before they can even register. Clocking in at a little over 15 minutes, these seven songs run just a bit shorter than the last Steal full-length (read: 14 tracks).
These songs are infused with enthusiasm. The opening track, “Circles Around A Square” will bring you back and make you wish you could spend your days biking around your neighborhood with friends, screaming the words out loud, fingers dragging past notches in fences. That is not to say that these songs are immature; far from it, in fact. These songs are rich with youthfulness, full of developing optimism and a sense of discovery. For this reason alone, I am very interested to see how Pacer will mature upon future releases, considering No. 1 gives off such an idealistic vibe.
Luckily the EP is short and concise enough that the band doesn’t have time to second-guess themselves. This is full steam ahead punk rock, and the material couldn’t have a better format to sit on. It’s a lengthy release compared to what most punk rock bands consider an EP these days, considering it’s all too often bands release two song 7”s. But this far from overstays its welcome (take a hint, Broken Social Scene, 25 minutes is not an EP).
Whilst No. 1 isn’t instantaneous fodder for my record of the year list, I’m not saying it definitely won’t be. From where I stand, Pacer just had to knock this one out to get used to the band chemistry. This is a perfect baby step towards something special. If Chunksaah Records knows what they’re doing, and history says they do, they will put out a Pacer full length ASAP." - The 1st Five.com
"Pacer are one of the two bands that formed after the demise of The Steal. Pacer are a 4-piece punk rock band in the vein of The Bouncing Souls, Descendents and undoubtedly The Steal in some parts. Featuring Mark and Dave from The Steal on vocals and guitar respectively, and completing the line-up Mike and Jaff.
I've been having a hard time figuring out if I liked this band. When listening I couldn't help feeling I'd much rather be listening to The Steal, and even though there was a lot of hype about Pacer, I felt as though they could shit on a microphone, press that to vinyl, and kids would still be loving it.
However, I have listened to the punknews.org stream of their debut 10" 'No. 1' constantly for a
couple of days and last night I saw them in Derby and bought their 10" after a pretty rad
performance. The 10" itself is absolutely incredible, I love it when
bands put a lot of effort into the aesthetics of a record. The artwork is great, and the sleeve is perfect doubling up as the insert with the lyrics printed on it. Those of you who purchased 'Bright Grey' by The Steal will know what I'm talking about. The vinyl comes in 4 different colours and I un-wrapped mine to see the Grey/Black colour which looks amazing. I love Pacer already.
So onto the music, the first of the seven tracks is called "Circles Around A Square" which features a pretty massive chorus which seems to be Pacer's forte on this record. Sometimes the songs seem to blend into one another and can pass you by if you're not paying attention, but the quality is definitely ever-present throughout. The standout track for me is "Pasternak" which starts with a brilliantly poppy guitar and drums rhythm, and again, features a fantastic chorus "My hang-ups have hung me high this time..." which you'll find yourself singing to yourself for the rest of the day.
For me this album has great presentation, amazing choruses and really really good lyrics. Buy it from Banquet Records and make your own mind up, it's worth it for the presentation alone." - Moving North
Chunksaah Records - First pressing limited to 520 copies
Vinyl colours - 150 - Grey / Black Splatter, 150 - Trans Orange, 200 - Trans Blue, 20 - Black