Tammy Ampersand, and called the band "Tammy and the Amps"; this later evolved into simply "the Amps". The group began by performing at small shows, and learned the songs well to prepare for recording the album. At some point during the recording sessions, Kelley's drug difficulties and rehabilitation prevented her from continuing as a member of the band. Recording Pacer was recorded at seven studios in total, with different engineers each time. The track "Tipp City" was used from the original session at Easley Studios, recorded in February 1995 and engineered by Doug Easley and Davis McCain. The Amps' next session was with engineer Steve Albini at his Chicago studio. Deal had previously worked with Albini on the Pixies' Surfer Rosa and the Breeders' Pod releases. The Amps and Albini recorded songs including further versions of "Tipp City", which are unreleased, and "Hoverin"; an earlier version of the latter song had previously been released on the Breeders' "Divine Hammer" single in October 1993. Other recording sessions, whose various engineers included Bryce Goggin and John Agnello, took place at studios in Long Island and Woodstock, New York, as well as Dayton, Los Angeles, and Dublin, Ireland. In a 1996 interview, Deal said that for Pacer, she focused on the vocals: "Usually, I tend to spend more time with the instruments. Last Splash had quite a few instrumentals and quite a few songs where I might say five words. [On Pacer, the] songs are all vocal-heavy. The vocal leads, and if you take the vocal away, you don't have much of a song." The sound of the album has been described as "lo-fi". Release Pacer was released in late October 1995. It was promoted with a full-page advertisement in NME in the UK, where it peaked at No. 60 on the UK Albums Chart, and No. 29 on the American Heatseekers Album chart. "Tipp City" was released as the album's single and included an alternate version of "Empty Glasses", as well as a cover of the Tasties' "Just Like a Briar". The single received some radio airplay in the USA, and reached No. 61 on the UK Singles Chart, but Pacer did not sell well. Although Elektra pressed 300,000 copies of the album, The New York Times reported in 2002 that it had sold 25,000 copies. The album became prominent in second-hand shops. Reception Critical appraisal of Pacer has been mixed. Reviewing