Skate punk legend Jim Lindberg (Pennywise) is making his long awaited return to his side project The Black Pacific, after nearly an entire decade and a half of silence. This week I was lucky enough to listen to the upcoming album Here Comes Our Wave (Dine Alone Records), due for release Sept. 20, and what I found might surprise some of you.
While you might expect this LP to be an old punk simply venting his woes to the world, that isn’t all we get here. Sure, that’s bound to be a part of it—we’re talking about a man approaching 60, still making music inside of the punk wheelhouse, something well deserved by Lindberg, having had such a lengthy and inspiring career as the frontman of Pennywise from 1988-2009. What we get instead is an album that is just as inspiring and outwards as it is introspective and fun.
Lead single “I Think I’m Paranoid” is really the only moment you DO feel as if it’s an old punk venting out his woes towards the current state of the world, but it isn’t without good reason. It isn’t classless or whiney, it’s realistic. The lyrics focus on terrorism, violence and conspiracies, and how the paranoia and fear of those things can push you, while distorted guitar rings fast and heavy, opening the album with a bang.
While this isn’t the only time throughout the album that you’ll hear about the pains of government and poor, often times maniacal leadership (“No Fun”) or the changes on the horizon (“Here We Come,” a track focusing on the impending doom of Artificial Intelligence), you still find softer moments, like the track “Float Away,” a track dedicated to Lindberg’s wife.
“Superhero” is an uplifting track that made me think of being a kid again and that feeling of wanting to become more, to do more with yourself. There are small moments that don’t hold up, of course, however small. But, can you expect perfection from a 60-year-old skate punk pioneer?
Lindberg and the guys in The Black Pacific ride out the end of this album with the title track “Here Comes Our Wave” which showcases yet another love of Lindbergs: surfing and enjoying his time oceanside with his friends and family.
All in all, The Black Pacific make their return with a tasteful and driven LP, stacked with 11 very well produced new songs that are bound to tickle the ears of skate punks and fans of Lindberg’s works.
Rating
3.9/5
Favorite Tracks
“Superhero,” “When Paper Burns”
Pre-Order Album
https://www.dinealonestore.com/collections/the-black-pacific
Stream Single “I Think I’m Paranoid”
Follow The Black Pacific
https://m.facebook.com/100050557716546/
https://www.instagram.com/blackpacificband/
Great review Christian! Keep up the great work
ReplyDelete...inspiring career as the frontman of Pennywise from 1988-2009? You do know Pennywise is still a band, right? And that Jim is still the singer? Maybe do something called research when writing a review instead of just relying on ChatGPT
ReplyDeleteThank you!! I was thinking the same thing. I just watched Pennywise play live last year, and I’m pretty sure Jim was the singer.
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