Heavy Song of the Week: Pennywise’s Jim Lindberg Leads The Black Pacific’s “I Think I’m Paranoid”

Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, the honor goes to The Black Pacific’s “I Think I’m Paranoid.”

Sometimes a name is merely a name, especially when it comes to music monikers. For instance, Pennywise’s Jim Lindberg is well aware that anything he puts out — no matter what the project is called — it’s gonna be compared to Pennywise. And he’s embracing it.

“I think the knee jerk reaction will be to say it all sounds like Pennywise, but I wrote the music and lyrics for more than half of every Pennywise album we made together after Jason [Thirsk] our bass player 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 long-running, beloved punk band. A song like “I Think I’m Paranoid” could’ve been on any of their albums, but for whatever reason, Lindberg didn’t think it was “right” for Pennywise — as is the case for 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 pens lyrics that hit in a personal and direct way. The phrasing of the chorus — “I think I’m paranoid / It’s something that I can’t avoid” — is simply delectable, and for three minutes, the song opens that same sonic portal that Pennywise always have. Thankfully Lindberg is content with releasing his music regardless of the nomenclature.

Honorable Mentions:

Amyl and the Sniffers – “Chewing Gum”

Amyl and The Sniffers are back on our HSOTW rundown after notching the top spot with “U Should Not Be Doing That” back in late May. Their latest single “Chewing Gum” is a bit of a slow burn by the Aussie act’s standards, relatively speaking, riding a steady glam-rock arrangement that leads to a satiating payoff when Amyl’s literal bubblegum-pop chorus (“Life is short, life is fun / And I’m young and so dumb / Stuck on you, like a chewing gum”) becomes a repeating refrain that triggers a climactic guitar solo.

Seven Hours After Violet – “Radiance”

Seven Hours After Violet’s debut single and HSOTW honoree “Paradise” floored us with its harshness and intensity. The second single “Radiance” is a bit more restrained and aligns with the 2000s nu-metal aesthetic that permeates the project. There’s still massive metal breakdowns and screamed vocals; however, the band balances these sections with instrumental breaks — featuring some Linkin Park-style sampling — and melodic clean-sung verses, indicative of the artful songcraft that Shavo Odadjian has carried over from his work in System of a Down.

Unto Others – “Momma Likes the Door Closed”

Unto Others embrace the camp on “Momma Likes the Door Closed,” from the Ghost-esque song title to the ’80s-metal flare of the arrangement and accompanying music video. The band (previously known as Idle Hands before a name change) have really been mining the Type O Negative goth metal on their recent output, but this track is more rambunctious and varied, with thrash breakdowns and an uptempo chorus that’s pure Danzig worship.