Review: Like Pacific - Like Pacific EP
By Chris Reinbold, Staff Writer
[Pure Noise; 2014]
Rating: 3.5/10
Key Tracks: “Eviction,” “105 Mccaul St.”
Pop punk is arguably one of the most, if not the most, oversaturated genre in the realm of independent music. Add to this genre yet another band, Toronto, Ontario’s Like Pacific. Like Pacific has been active since 2009, but nobody would ever guess that from their sound. Throughout a vast majority of this EP, Like Pacific’s lead vocalist sounds an awful lot like Parker Cannon of The Story So Far.
Like Pacific starts with a typical “posi” pop punk sound, big chorus and all, with the initial track “Sigh of Relief.” Second track “Eviction” starts with tame feedback and the classic sound of a single, foil-thin distorted guitar that gives way to a full band jam. The lead guitar shimmers in an angular fashion, buried beneath layers of thick guitars, bass and drums. “Eviction” is hands down the EP’s catchiest song, although that may not be saying much. However, the catchiness of this song hangs on its chorus, which bears an uncanny resemblance, harmonically and melodically, to The Story So Far’s chorus in “Playing the Victim” off its 2013 release, What You Don’t See.
By the midpoint of this EP, it becomes obvious that there is nothing different about Like Pacific from a run of the mill pop punk band. “Clarity” is a vocal improvement from the first two cuts, as the vocalist appears to have his own voice, instead of copping from Cannon. “105 Mccaul St.” begins with a melodic guitar line and segues into the vocal again, leaving the listener saying, “C’mon, you’re not Parker!” Tonally, this song could get lost in the sea of pop punk with its chugging, clacking bass line and lightly distorted guitars. The redeeming quality of this song is the bridge, when the lead guitar shimmers above everything else in the mix like the stars in space.
Like Pacific has a lot of work to do if it plans on separating itself from just about any other pop punk band with an internet presence. While the EP is not exactly a terrible pop punk release, it is nowhere near out of the ordinary and can leave the listener feeling like they wasted time hoping for something that was never going to manifest. The lyrics throughout this album seem to be about love troubles, like in “Clarity,” with the shout of, “You know exactly what you did!” The shimmering guitars could be a game changer on future releases, but they need to be brought to the forefront of the mix, not left hiding in the back. The lyrical work is bland, and with the exception of the “Eviction” chorus, Like Pacific simply has nothing to stick into the listener’s mind.
