10 things Like Pacific want you to know about ‘In Spite Of Me’

July 19, 2018

It’s been two long years since Like Pacific released their full-length debut Distant Like You Asked, but the wait is finally over as the Canadian pop punks are gearing up to release follow-up In Spite Of Me. We chatted with frontman Jordan Black on the cathartic recording process, his desire to move on and working with Four Year Strong frontman Alan Day.

THE TWO RECORDS ARE SIMILAR YET TOTALLY DIFFERENT AT THE SAME TIME.

“Distant [Like You Asked] and [In Spite Of Me] are two very different records but have a similar feeling,” Black states. “I feel that Distant was more of me wondering why someone could treat me a certain way, and it’s generally more sad I guess [while In Spite Of Me] is more about the anger stage, wondering why I exist and contemplating my every move in life.”

THE BAND ARE STAYING PISSED…

“I think I put all of my eggs in one basket, and [I] expected more for the guy I mostly wrote Distant about,” he reveals. “At that time, I would have given up a lot to be in a stable relationship—I played myself. In Spite Of Me is Like Pacific’s pissed off side. It does have some quotes from Distant because I can’t just forget about all that happened to me. I just need to move on and remind myself that these little things don’t mean shit.”

…BECAUSE YELLING IS MORE FUN…

“I think I can yell better than I can sing—I like yelling more actually,” he admits. “With that came a change in [emotional] direction. I wanted it to be hard hitting.”

…AND THE KEY TO MOVING ON.

“In the process of all of this, I was getting better,” he says. “As I went on, I stopped caring about the past and started to laugh at the shit this person put me through. [I] still can’t believe I dated a master manipulator, [and I] hope the cruise ship you work on now is better than hanging with me.”

IT WAS A CATHARTIC PROCESS.

“I spent many nights drunk and pissed off writing the lyrics between the Ossington and Pape subway stations—just jotting down one-liners in my phone,” he reveals. “I was so emotionally drained recording these vocals, so [fans] just need to know it came from a real place.”

WORKING WITH ALAN DAY WAS A DREAM COME TRUE…

“We all grew up listening to Four Year Strong, and it was nothing short of sick,” he says. “We met them on Warped and did some shows in western Canada with them, so we hit it off and then from there, Pure Noise suggested we work with him, [and] we were instantly on board. He really helped shape all of our ideas into songs, and we’re grateful we got to do it [with] someone who shares similar influences.”

EVEN IN THE WOODS WITHOUT CELLPHONE SERVICE…

“Mike Harmon’s studio is amazing—it was next to a craft beer store, so we hit that up a bunch, but besides that there was nothing around,” he says. “It was very spooky, so we would light a candle in the parking [lot] and all sit around it and drink.”

…AND WHILE SCARING THEMSELVES SLEEPLESS.

“[Drinking was] usually followed up by a horror movie that made us all want to sleep in one room and lock all the doors,” he reveals. “Word of advice, don’t watch movies like [The] Strangers or Hush in the middle of nowhere with minimal cell service.”

HOWEVER, UNPLUGGING WAS REFRESHING.

“It was seriously a nice getaway,” he says. “I’m glued to my phone, so to literally just be in the woods doing some pre-pro was different, but I’d 100 percent do it again. We definitely got a lot done with there being not a lot of distractions.”

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

“[It] sounds very generic, but thank you to everyone who’s kept up with us and still follows our band,” he offers. “2018 and 2019 [are] gonna be our years. This new record is so much fun to play live, so expect maximum energy from us.”

In Spite Of Me is available for preorder now via Pure Noise Records. The band are hitting the road for a string of Canadian dates, which can be viewed below.

Dates:
07/26 – Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club
08/04 – St. Catharines, ON @ Warehouse
08/10 – London, ON @ London Music Hall

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