Track by Track: Like Pacific – Control My Sanity

Toronto’s Like Pacific are back with their new album ‘Control My Sanity’, a record that sees them playing around with their sound of old and battling to create through the pandemic via video chat and iPhone demos. “In the last two years I’ve been going through the worst depression I’ve ever experienced,” singer Jordan Black explains. “This was very helpful for me and the band as a whole. Looking forward to people emotionally connecting to this record. Our best yet.” Here, Jordan talks us through the record, track by track.

Ketamine Jesus
The song title itself is kind of harsh, but I think it sets the mood for the rest of the record. I dated someone who would just get me high on drugs, so I was complacent. Our relationship was just him saying the right things but never being there for me. Just shushing me with substances. I thought it would be cool to have an intro track, and to be honest, it may be my favourite track off this record.
Originally meant to be a short intro and only one chorus, but we extended it because we liked it so much.

Love Them and Leave Them
Not to be confused for the song by the best Canadian metal-core band(the Gorgeous). This song is just about random hookups and how romantic some people can be with strangers, how hookup culture is for some and not for others—seeking out partners while intoxicated in hopes of feeling some sort of dopamine rush.
The bridge “breakdown” was originally the chorus in our demo of this song. We called this the EA Sports soundtrack song.

Control My Sanity
I think it was Tay and Greg that loved this as an album title. It’s for sure a common theme on the record. Manipulation, self-worth and gaslighting. I felt extremely uncomfortable at first when I first recorded the lyric ‘you’re the reason I don’t wanna live”. Thoughts on paper are different when they come to fruition but, I’m very open about my mental health. It definitely helped to write this track.
Second, of the first two songs, we wrote as a band in the writing session in December 2019. Sounded like a soft song at first, but it changed a lot within a few hours.

Hollow Tears
I love the pre-chorus hook on this song. It reminds me of ‘Locket’… which is fitting since Brad wrote most of this amazing song. It’s hard-hitting but also following the melodic theme of this record. This song is about making the decision to leave someone but always unsure about your decision. Why does lonely feel so cold? I wanted this
Used acoustic guitar in parts throughout this song – even the second verse “mosh beat” part. Something we haven’t done much of before.

Waste of Breath
There is a man who goes to a certain bar (in Toronto) that is miserable and overly rude and thinks he paved the way for my friends and I. Embarrassing.
This was a guitar riff Luke would soundcheck with every show for the last three years. Also, the first song we attempted to write for this record, but we didn’t think it fit at first.
We got together in Tay’s basement to write the last two songs for the record and revisited it. We upped the tempo/made it more driving sounding, and it ended up one of our favourites.

Catch Your Eye
Self-explanatory, I think. Becoming close with someone who you look up to and realising that they don’t see you as an equal. Break up song(they mostly all are, who am I kidding).

Adored
One of the last songs we wrote for the record. We got together in Tay’s basement and decided to make a fast/heavy Like Pacific song for fun.
The bridge was originally in ‘Control My Sanity’, but it fit better in this song.
We wrote this one last, I’m pretty sure. A nod to our older stuff (‘Sedatives’, ‘Richmond’), I feel. Everyone wants to be wanted, wants to be adored. Is that too much to ask? Also, this song has a panic chord which I pushed for, I’m sure.

Fail To Speak
The first song we wrote during a 3-day session in 2019. It sort of solidified the direction for the newer sound we were going for on this record.
Hard to be around someone who’s naturally confident and smarter than you. Harder even when you’re in love with them, and it’s not reciprocated.

Rest In The Dirt
Wanted to try our hands at an acoustic song – ended up with this. Not acoustic, but different than anything we’ve ever done. A super impactful-sounding song.
I have been on medication for a few years now, and while it has changed my life for the better, I still have days. When I wrote this, I was binge drinking while on SSRI’s. I didn’t want to be around anymore. Something I deal with often.

Time Won’t Heal
I love when you know a song is going to be an album ender. Sam killed it with this idea when he came to us with it. Wrote this song in response to a close friend. Two work in progresses trying to be there for each other when you know you just don’t want to be alone. Also has a guitar solo. Insane.
I joked that this was the “Papa Roach Rock” song. Wanted a huge sounding rock chorus. I knew this would probably be the album ender when we finished it.