Heavy Song of the Week is a feature from Heavy Consequence that looks at the best metal, punk, and hard rock songs you should listen to every Friday. This week, the honor goes to The Black Pacific’s “I Think I’m Paranoid.”
Sometimes a name is just a name, especially when it comes to musical monikers. For example, Pennywise's Jim Lindberg is well aware that anything he puts out, no matter what the project is called, will be compared to Pennywise. And he's embracing it.
“I think the knee-jerk reaction will be to say that everything sounds like Pennywise, but I wrote the music and lyrics for over half of every Pennywise album we did together after Jason [Thirsk] Our bassist passed away, so I think it's more accurate to say that Pennywise sounds like me, not the other way around.”
The Black Pacific is essentially a songwriting vehicle for Lindberg outside of the context of Pennywise, a band that hasn’t released an album since 2018. Consider it an extension of Lindberg’s beloved, long-running punk band. A song like “I Think I’m Paranoid” could have been on any of their albums, but for whatever reason, Lindberg didn’t think it was “right” for Pennywise, as is the case with the other songs on The Black Pacific’s new album (and first LP in 14 years). HERE COMES OUR WAVE.
Lindberg is a master of melodic punk, as he reminds us here, and writes lyrics that hit home in a personal and direct way. The phrasing of the chorus — “I guess I’m paranoid / It’s something I can’t help” — is simply delicious, and for three minutes the song opens the same sonic portal that Pennywise has always opened. Fortunately, Lindberg is content to release his music regardless of nomenclature.
Honorable mentions:
Amyl and the Sniffers – “Gum”
Amyl and The Sniffers return to our HSOTW chart after hitting the top spot with “U Should Not Be Doing That” in late May. Their latest single, “Chewing Gum,” is a bit slow by the Australian group’s standards, relatively speaking, and relies on a steady glam-rock arrangement that leads to a satisfying denouement when Amyl’s literal bubblegum pop chorus (“Life is short, life is fun / And I’m young and so dumb / Stuck to you, like gum”) builds into a repetitive chorus that triggers a climactic guitar solo.
Seven hours after Violet – “Radiance”
Seven Hours After Violet’s debut single and HSOTW homage, “Paradise,” blew us away with its grit and intensity. The second single, “Radiance,” is a bit more restrained and falls in line with the 2000s nu-metal aesthetic that permeates the project. There are still massive metal breakdowns and screamed vocals; however, the band balances these sections with instrumental breaks (which include some Linkin Park-esque samples) and cleanly sung melodic verses, indicative of the clever songwriting Shavo Odadjian has inherited from his work in System of a Down.
To others – “Mom likes the door closed”
Unto Others embraces the camp vibe on “Momma Likes the Door Closed,” from the song’s Ghost-esque title to the ‘80s metal vibe of the arrangement and accompanying music video. The band (formerly known as Idle Hands before a name change) has been really mining the gothic metal Type O Negative in their recent output, but this track is more boisterous and varied, with thrash breaks and an up-tempo chorus that’s pure Danzig worship.
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