People walking by Starlight on March 19 might have thought a crowd of people was making the vociferous noises on the second story of the building. However, all that sound came from two people. Vancouver’s Pack A.D. just released their fifth studio album Do Not Engage this past January and have hit the road in support of it. The album continues on what the band has been doing since their first album, while still showing growth.
“I think we have continued along the same lines with what we have been doing,” said Becky Black, who plays guitar and is the vocalist in the band. “However, there are more pop influences and catchy choruses on the newest record. Lyrically, we have stuck to the same themes though.”
It was easy enough to see the duo was having fun on stage. They managed a high level of engagement with their audience while playing their self-described blend of ‘rock-psych-pop-punk.’ Overall, the crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, judging by the cheers and applause following each song.
Looking at changes over the course of five albums, the group’s focus was to stay true to what they wanted to do as a band.
“The goal was just to make something better than the last one for ourselves, and not necessarily for the people, because I don’t know what’s good for other people,” said Miller. “The only true measure you have is what you think of yourself. The goal was trying to make something that would be enjoyable to us.”
Their new album’s title was inspired by the ways people communicate with each other in public when encountering ‘uninformed’ and ‘idiotic’ comments.
“The worst thing you can do is give a comment back to them about how they are uninformed and correct them. So you then get engaged in this thing that you should not have engaged in, so the title comes from that,” said Miller.
To Black, being a musician is more than just the creative aspect: part of the job is having the ability to perform your songs live.
“I love the creative process, but I also love the performance side of it, because you get to connect with other people, and everyone is involved in the same moment. It can kind of be magical, and that’s part of the fun,” said Black.
With tour dates right through the spring into summer, Black said any future plans for the band would follow a similar course to what they are used to doing. “We are going to do the same thing we’ve been doing since the start, touring and playing music.”