Being happier and healthier leads to the sound of ‘Self Care’

As its title signifies, the new album by Matthew Schwartz and his band Pacifico focuses extensively on taking care of oneself and showing kindness to others. Just how central is the theme to “Self Care,” the fourth full-length record from the Atlantan and the collective he fronts? One of the vinyl bundles he’s offering (on Pacifico’s Bandcamp page: pacifico.bandcamp.com) comes with a self care journal, giving the listener the opportunity to write down thoughts in the name of improving mental health and wellbeing.

“My generation was maybe the last generation where you weren’t supposed to talk about your feelings, you were supposed to suck it up,” acknowledges Schwartz in a recent conversation. “I don’t know if most people feel this way, but I feel like that’s festering a wound. Being open and transparent in my life personally has done nothing but garner more love, more acceptance, more happiness for myself and from others.”

Credit: Trey Wadsworth

Credit: Trey Wadsworth

The album’s direction was organic. “I don’t try to go into a theme,” Schwartz relates. “I got a therapist and started working on myself, trying to be happier and healthier. In doing so, I think that translated into the album having a unifying theme.”

Singer/guitarist Schwartz and his current bandmates — lead guitarist CJ Mask, bassist Wes Clifton, keyboard player (and wife) Eva Caspary and drummer Andrew Linton — are set to unveil the new songs at a record release show at Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday, Feb. 18. It will be Schwartz’s first full-band show in many years. “I’m playing some songs that I haven’t played in a very long time, which I’m excited about,” he enthuses.

Schwartz prepared for the Feb. 10 release of “Self Care” (via his own Pacifirecords label) by releasing a series of singles, with accompanying videos, beginning last fall. One of them, “Comatose,” has an energy and dynamism that make it destined to stand out live. “It started as a demo with just me and my acoustic [guitar],” says Schwartz. “I just started playing the riff, I liked it and sang a couple of lines over it — just whispering over the phone. The bridge part of it came really late. I like that song a lot, I’m excited to play it live.”

The ultra-catchy “Don’t Play Dead” is for his wife Eva and originated from the feelings he had observing her having a tough time. “You see somebody you love drowning and there’s nothing you can do — at least maybe I can be a siren and sing to her,” posits the songwriter. “She loves it, and is in agreement with me about openness and honesty and transparency.” The lighthearted video for the song mixes dance scenes with shots of the band miming to the track, as he’d always wanted to have a dance-themed video.

One particularly heavy track on “Self Care” is “Complicated, Confiscated,” which has turned into a mantra of sorts for Schwartz. “That one most definitely just came out, almost fully formed,” he notes. “I think that I wrote it when I was upset, so it was 100% of me squeezing out a wet towel of emotion. It’s really personal, and I think I turned out really well.” Pondering the dynamics of sharing so much about himself, he returns to the theme of openness with a sincere, matter-of-fact statement: “It’s not meant to hold on to, music is meant to be shared.”

The album is a thoroughly Southeastern affair. Schwartz (who records demos at home) convened the band in Nashville for most of the sessions before recording his vocals with Matt Goldman at Glow in the Dark Studios here in Atlanta. Band members live in North Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana, making the upcoming show even more special. “Self Care” took five years to complete, and some of its songs date back 12 years.

The band got its start in the late ‘90s, soon having its music appear on the radio, in TV programs and on MTV. When the original lineup split up, Pacifico morphed from a specific set of musicians to more of an idea, always fronted by Schwartz and including anyone playing with him at any given time. Indeed, no fewer than 16 collaborators (including the current live players) contributed to the recording of “Self Care.” As he detailed in a recent interview with Spin magazine, Schwartz had a dreadful experience overall with the music industry, so having a loose musical collective, his own record label and openness about how he’s feeling in 2023 put him where he wants to be.

Aaron Sprinkle mixed the new record. He’s a songwriter, producer — and now, with Schwartz, a podcaster. The duo co-host “Moontraveling,” a podcast covering music, their friendship and a variety of other topics. “I know they say every man in his 30s and 40s wants to start a podcast,” jokes Schwartz. “Really I think it started because of the pandemic, partially. The other part of it was that I met one of my heroes and became friends with him. On a whim I pitched him on the idea.” The next episode will focus on how each approaches songwriting.

For now, Schwartz’s live focus is on the record release show. “I currently don’t have anything [else] booked,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind putting together a band with some people who live closer, that could actually play with me more often.” He’s open to doing more of the solo acoustic shows like the ones he’s done over the last five or so years, and might do some touring over the summer while continuing to develop new material. “I’ve got four or five songs that are in some stage,” he notes. “None of them are finished, but some are close. I always write and always will write.” Schwartz continues to produce as well, including for the next release on Pacifirecords, the debut by Kick.Snare.Crash, likely out in the summer or fall.

“Self Care” is a compelling and cohesive set of songs, and its architect is content with their resonance. “I’ve gotten nothing but great responses [to the singles released thus far],” he says. “Lyrically there have been a lot of people who have really connected to these songs, and I think that’s great. That’s the best I could hope for.” Pacifico’s appearance at Smith’s Olde Bar will give concertgoers the chance to connect with those songs live and the group members a chance to celebrate launching a record over five years in the making.