From ambient drone and Spanish power pop, to grinding crust punk and occupational health and safety-themed hardcore: check out four new delightfully weird releases from around Atlantic Canada.

FAXES – Black Candles (Fredericton, NB)

An exercise in dark ambience from the same droning synths that brought you ZEIT. Dark Candles is available on limited edition cassette via the NB Noise Brigade Bandcamp. 

Lo Siento – Brujas (St. John’s, NL)

The sophomore album from St. John’s-based Spanish power pop band, Lo Siento. Brujas translates to English as “witches”, and this 9-song album suitably conjures up the magic of simple pop melodies with complex mood and emotion. You can find Lo Siento currently on tour in eastern Canada – dates here.

Vexation – Vexation EP (Halifax, NS)

A molotov cocktail of crust punk and grindcore with a broody tinge of black metal. Vexation’s debut EP is a steady reminder of Atlantic Canada’s history of mastering the relentless, harsh and extreme corners of the least accessible spaces in punk and metal. 

WHMIS – DEMO (Halifax, NS)

Occupational health and safety-themed hardcore from the HRM. This demo is blown out and chaotic and continues to prove that punk releases from Halifax titled “demo” are generally better than most modern punk albums. This thing kicks heads hard, so get an equally hard hat.

Watch Wayne Parsons Skate the Streets of St. John’s Circa 1994