Look somewhere on a Venn diagram of Passenger, Vance Joy and George Ezra and you may well find this rousing offering from Pace occupying the mid-point.
The London-based alt-pop trio is causing great excitement both on the live circuit and in the media receiving accolades and getting played on the likes of BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music. Their track, ‘Foolish’ went viral on Spotify with over 300,000 online plays last year and they seem to be generating an envy-inducing buzz that is especially impressive when you know that they only formed two years ago.
‘The Sea’ is produced by the legendary Bernard Butler, and boy does it show. We’re led into the track with a restrained, delicate percussion and serenaded throughout the rest by ethereally optimistic strings: fragile, in the background, almost out of reach. Unobtainable but cherished, which is very much the lyrical theme of this song. Meanwhile, there are beautiful vocal harmonies and it is punctuated by Traveling Wilburys-esque guitar riffs.
This is a personal track for Pace’s frontman, Jamie Ley, who wrote it about the disappearance of a 14-year-old from his hometown in 2002. The boy, Daniel, went missing on New Year’s Day while fishing on a nearby river and Jamie has said that this track is dedicated to him: the grief of his family, the power of the sea and above all the celebration of his life.
It’s a beautiful tribute and another track that should easily continue Pace’s upward trajectory.
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