Canadian punk-rock band, Like Pacific, have made a dramatic return with the release of their second full-length album, ‘In Spite Of Me’.
Formed in 2010, the Canadian band signed to Pure Noise Records in 2014. The band’s debut full-length album ‘Distant Like You’ was released in February 2016 and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart. Like Pacific are reminiscent of fellow Pure Noise label mates State Champs, The Story So Far, and Knuckle Puck. Typical to the genre, the album is layered with heavy drums, loud guitar riffs and shouty vocals. It’s musically chaotic, but catchy. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself singing along. Jordan Black spends majority of his time emotively shouting along to punchy pop-punk tracks that are occasionally split between a mix of aggressive shouting and refined clean vocals.
The opening tracks of the album leave a lot to be desired. There’s a feeling of excessive overlaying and noise rather than a succinct sound of refined music. Self-titled track ‘In Spite Of Me’ is saved by the chorus and how the song gradually becomes more likeable with each listen. However, thankfully, this trend doesn’t last long. After ‘In Spite of Me’ and ‘Sedatives’, the album starts to take more form. Tracks like ‘Had It Coming’, ‘Self-Defeated’, and ‘Steadily’ demonstrate the band’s real promise. The songs are fast-paced and cleverly written songs which are likely to become fan-favourites. With this in mind, it’s clear that Like Pacific have their distinct sound, but obvious the band have a few things to work out. They miss the mark with a few songs, with Black’s shouting becoming tiresome and lacking in symmetry with the music. This dysfunction is most evident in songs like ‘The Spring’ but especially ‘Occupy Your Skin’. Out of the entire album, this was the song I couldn’t get myself to like. The mellow song didn’t suit Black’s gritty vocals and the sound was only salvaged by backing vocalist Grey Hall which offered more structure to the song. I hate to say it, but there’s room for improvement.
All in all, Like Pacific offer a very promising album. Stand-out tracks ‘Had It Coming’, ‘Consider Me’, and ‘Something Missing’ are filled with catchy hooks, relatable lyrics and a general likeable sound. While I hadn’t heard of the Canadian band before, I would definitely chalk the guys up to being one of the upcoming bands of the alternative/punk-rock scene. This album might split opinions, but it’s got quality and there’s no doubt Like Pacific will be around for a while. Rating:
Check out Like Pacific's title-track 'In Spite of Me' music video below:
You must be logged in to leave a comment