Biography
Formed in London roughly twenty-five years after Manchester’s 808 State issued their landmark 1989 cut, Pacific State took its name from that track and centers on vocalist Berri Farley alongside producer Simon Marlin. At the outset Farley was still finding her footing in the industry, whereas Marlin already possessed an extensive résumé through his long-running U.K. house outfit the Shapeshifters, whose 2004 chart-topping single “Lola’s Theme” remains their signature achievement. Although the project is presented as a duo, Marlin’s Shapeshifters colleague Max Reich shared production duties on the material.
Before crossing paths with Marlin, the South East London-born Farley sharpened her songwriting and vocal abilities during a period spent in Spain, where she appeared at clubs across both the mainland and the Balearics. Those performances frequently featured her own material alongside selections drawn from the catalogs of Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald. Once back in London she reached out to Marlin after developing vocal melody concepts over a demo he had circulated. The ensuing studio sessions in the capital yielded a handful of tracks that fused the pair’s shared affinities for early R&B, dance-pop, and U.S. West Coast-inspired folk. London Records signed the act in 2014, and their first release, “Coming Home,” arrived that August. Constructed around portions of Jimmy Webb’s 1968 composition “Wichita Lineman,” originally written for Glen Campbell, the single fuses that foundation with a contemporary pop sensibility reminiscent of Emeli Sandé.
Before crossing paths with Marlin, the South East London-born Farley sharpened her songwriting and vocal abilities during a period spent in Spain, where she appeared at clubs across both the mainland and the Balearics. Those performances frequently featured her own material alongside selections drawn from the catalogs of Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald. Once back in London she reached out to Marlin after developing vocal melody concepts over a demo he had circulated. The ensuing studio sessions in the capital yielded a handful of tracks that fused the pair’s shared affinities for early R&B, dance-pop, and U.S. West Coast-inspired folk. London Records signed the act in 2014, and their first release, “Coming Home,” arrived that August. Constructed around portions of Jimmy Webb’s 1968 composition “Wichita Lineman,” originally written for Glen Campbell, the single fuses that foundation with a contemporary pop sensibility reminiscent of Emeli Sandé.
Albums
Singles
