NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – November 14, 2025
Out Now! Nova Scotia’s HUMAN MISSILE CRISIS’ New EP “Waste Away” Navigates Adulthood w/ Riffs, Grit, and Heart
L-R – DJ Vaters – Guitar/Vocals, Matthew MacIsaac – Drums, Justin Boutilier – Bass
Human Missile Crisis, the punk-infused garage rock trio from Cape Breton Island, now residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has released “Waste Away,” a two-track EP that captures the raw emotion, sonic experimentation, and lived experience of three lifelong friends navigating adulthood with guitars, grit, and a whole lot of heart.
Recorded live off the floor in a single 10-hour session at Sound Park Studios in Sydney, Cape Breton, the EP marks the band’s first collaboration in over 20 years with award-winning engineer Jamie Foulds. Mixed by Foulds and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Portland, OR), “Waste Away” is a visceral follow-up to their 2023 debut album “Liquor Store Stories”.
“We are so incredibly stoked and humbled to release Waste Away. These songs mean a lot to us. They’re the result of years of friendship, collaboration, and personal growth. Writing them helped me through some dark times, and I hope they speak to others the way they helped me. One fan once said the vocals sounded like they were powered by Jack Daniels with a Lemmy snarl, a bold statement, but we’ll roll with it,” says vocalist/guitarist DJ Vaters.
Opening track, “Snake in the Grass,” is like a dance pit. This upbeat, slide-guitar-driven track is a departure from HMC’s usual sound, channeling an old Bloc Party vibe with fast, fun drums and even a quiet, pretty bass solo bridge. Inspired by a rattlesnake warning in Osoyoos, BC, the lyrics explore betrayal and the treacherous people who smile to your face and strike when you least expect it.
“Just dance. Turn it up and let loose,” the band adds.
Music Video – Snake in the Grass – https://youtu.be/k_Sd1brbsEM
Closing track, “Mona Lisa” is a song for the night owls, the shift workers, the touring musicians. With a singer-songwriter vibe and explosive punk choruses, “Mona Lisa” speaks to the loneliness of working odd hours and being away from loved ones.
“I’ve always been a night hawk. This song is for those moments when you just want to be home in bed with the person you love,” shares DJ.
Stream – Mona Lisa – https://youtu.be/NSfaijG4YG0
The EP Artwork was designed by local artist @sourrgrrrl; the cover art was born from instinct. DJ spotted her sticker on a telephone pole, sent her the unmastered tracks, and let her interpret freely. The result is a visual that matches the EP’s emotional pulse.
Recommended for fans of Idles, Fucked Up, Pup, Ty Segall, Queens of the Stone Age, The Dirty Nil, and Propagandhi, “Waste Away” is available on all digital platforms on November 14th, 2025, and can be found at the following link – https://linktr.ee/humanmissilecrisis
Track Listing:
1. Snake in the Grass – 4:22
2. Mona Lisa – 5:23
EP Length: 9:46
EP Credits:
Recorded at Sound Park Studios by Jamie Foulds on June 1st, 2025
Mixed by Jamie Foulds
Mastered at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon by Brad Boatright.
All songs written and performed by Human Missile Crisis.
DJ Vaters (Guitar/Vocals)
Justin Boutilier (Bass/Backups)
Matthew MacIsaac (Drums)
More info: https://www.facebook.com/missilecrisis | https://www.instagram.com/humanmissilecrisis
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“When it comes to partying and being young, there are many “highs” and lows, as Human Missile Crisis draws our attention to in their new single “Too Long.”… The clip gives you a good look at these Dartmouth rockers in action. With fuzzed-out guitars and a garage rock spirit, these three young men know how to command a stage. The video captures what they do best: play live. The band members pride themselves on being a high-octane live act. That’s what the video is meant to emphasize: guys who can rock a stage like they rocked their parents’ garage growing up.” – V13
“With it’s thundering and infectious bassline, crunchy guitars, thrashing drums, and gritty heartfelt vocals, Human Missile Crisis easily achieved the powerful and memorable with “Blackwater”.” – Amplify The Noise
“Three friends and a long-standing passion for punk rock and garage, understood in their most jaunty and enjoyable expressions: they are human missile crisis, here grappling with their recording debut. What is striking right from the start is the light-heartedness that expert frequenters of the reference scene such as DJ VATERS, JUSTIN BOUTILIER and MATTHEW MACISAAC have been able to pour into the nine, lightning-fast moments that make up the album; the verve is ironic and semi-serious, the aim is fun, sarcasm and provocation: all elements which, mixed properly with direct and immediate sounds, come to compose a picture that is nothing short of caustic and full of sparkling ideas. The creativity released by the band is contagious: Liquor Store Stories echoes that kind of spontaneity traditionally inherent in the reference genres. And it offers half an hour of healthy entertainment in the name of bombastic pieces in which technique gives way to the desire to play together, to a sense of friendship that emerges with vigor from the grooves of the work and to a spontaneous and genuine approach. A debut that follows the dictates of tradition, proudly claiming its brilliant originality” – Rock Hard Italy
“I had a weird sensation while listening to the massive punch and swagger of “Liquor Store Stories” by Dartmouth, Nova Scotia based Human Missile Crisis. Not only is the title amazing and sounds like an anthology series on Hulu, the crunchy assaulting guitars, the nimble hyper bass lines, atomic drumming and strident vocal scowling aesthetic had me thinking of a 70’s Mod revival rock band instead of a punk outfit, namely, the iconic JAM. Maybe it is the major 7th and miner chords I think I am hearing, maybe it is the vocal countenance that does have a heavier sort of iteration of Weller, and maybe it is the fury of the bass and drums, of everything really. And it also might be the sense of talking about the inner workings of hometowns. By the way, sonically, I also thought of an amalgam of early punk like the Buzzcocks and more current bangers like Prince Daddy & The Hyena.” -Robb Donker Curtius / American Pancake
“Merging elements of Garage Rock and Post-Punk, they end up delivering an exciting song to the listener, with great melodies and which stands out mainly for its great rhythmic work, with its striking bass line and vocals with great melodies.” -Leandro Vianna / Roadie Metal
“Maybe “Blackwater” from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia based Human Missile Crisis is about wishing those who disappeared from your life well, maybe not. Maybe it is all about the glorious noise, the throttling bass bottom heaviness that kicks you in the gut, maybe not. Maybe it is about finding what you are searching for and not dive deep into the blackness to find it, maybe not. In the end, maybe Human Missile Crisis feels like Black Sabbath, The Dead Kennedys, Coachwhips, Bass Drum of Death atom smashed together into something else entirely, something visceral and impactful.” -Robb Donker Curtius / American Pancake
“”Liquor Store Stories” is a single recently dropped by Nova Scotia-based band, Human Missile Crisis. Boasting an infectious energy equipped with melodic vocal flows and anthemic instrumental work, this is a powerful new tune that delivers a unique blend of styles. Elements of punk, garage rock, indie, and emo are all present here, and the band shines brightly by creatively blending all the influences into one full sound.” -Havoc Underground
“”Too Long” is a melody that will really provoke something powerful and luminous in you with its most violent and rhythmic rhythms, capable of awakening the monster that you keep inside of you, this band will shake you with this crazy song bathed in the best alternative sounds and aggressive sounds of punk fused with the darkness of a more balanced rock.” -End Sessions
“‘Too Long’ by Human Missile Crisis is an energetic, aggressive and dark punk and rock whose instruments provide an auditory explosion in the best of the senses, causing a piece of music full of rhythm to be manufactured. While listening to the song I couldn’t stop moving my head back and forth because of how catchy it is, it’s one of those songs that you fall in love with in a second. I loved the song from start to finish and I hope you do too.” -Javier Alfonso / La Caverna
“The album begins with “Do you Remember”, a song that has a powerful guitar in its intro and remains that way, but from the beginning you say this album is not going to stop, it is going to maintain that hard and aggressive rhythm, although They also have California punk songs like “The Spark”, and of course they also have songs like “Distant Memory”, with a slower rhythm, but with the same strength in the voice. This album really has 9 incredible tracks for those who like garage and punk, and also get into slam.” -Miguel Castillo/ La Caverna
“Opening the record is ‘Do You Remember’, a three-minute romp that must be powered by Jack Daniels because the vocals have that tinge of Lemmy about them. The track ebbs and flows for those 180 seconds but always comes back to the punchy punk-rock vibe that is at the core of Liquor Store Stories.” -Dan Hemming / Hard Beat Magazine
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