Like Pacific

Like Pacific came together in Toronto, Canada, in 2009 as a hard-charging pop-punk and emo five-piece centered on lead vocalist Jordan Black. After issuing early EPs at the start of the following decade, the group’s second full-length, In Spite of Me, reached the Top 25 of the Billboard Independent Albums chart in 2018. Retaining their focus on melody while delivering forceful impact, they issued Control My Sanity in 2021.

The band coalesced around a circle of friends united by an affinity for loud yet melodic rock, adopting the phrase “stay pissed” as an emblem of their high-energy stance. They cultivated a local following through performances and lyrics that invoked Toronto streets and landmarks, then self-released their first EP, The Worst…, in 2011. A second effort, the Homebound EP, appeared the next year. In 2014 the quintet joined New Damage/Pure Noise Records, which put out the Sam Guaiana-produced Like Pacific EP in early 2015. That release featured Black alongside guitarists Greg Hall and Luke Holmes, bassist Chris Thaung, and drummer Dillon Forret. Their first full-length, Distant Like You Asked, arrived in February 2016, again under Guaiana’s guidance, though with Dylan Burnett and Cam Ward handling guitar duties instead of Hall and Holmes, both of whom later returned. Brad Garcia and Taylor Ewart had by then assumed bass and drums, respectively, enabling appearances at Riot Fest, SXSW, and the Vans Warped Tour.

The stabilized roster recorded In Spite of Me with producer Derek Hoffman (Seaway, the Elwins); the album charted on both the Heatseekers and Independent Albums lists after its 2018 release. Returning to the studio with Guaiana and Kyle Marchant, Like Pacific completed Control My Sanity, which Pure Noise issued in December 2021.