Nova Scotia’s own punk-infused garage rock trio, Human Missile Crisis, has released the official music video for “Mona Lisa,” the lead single from their visceral new two-song EP, Waste Away. Recorded live off the floor in a single day at Sound Park Studios with award-winning engineer Jamie Foulds, the project captures the raw, unpolished energy of a band that has been “melting faces” since 2019. While the EP’s first track, “Snake in the Grass,” serves as a high-velocity dance-pit anthem, “Mona Lisa” offers a more melodic, heartfelt perspective. Written for shift workers and touring musicians, the track features soaring punk choruses that tackle the isolation of late-night schedules and the universal longing for home, proving the band’s ability to balance aggressive riffs with lyrical honesty.
The release of Waste Away marks a significant full-circle moment for the trio, reuniting them with Foulds for the first time since their early days in the band Violent Theory over 20 years ago. To ensure the EP maintained its gritty edge, the tracks were mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon—a studio known for its work with heavy-hitters in the punk and hardcore scenes. Drawing inspiration from the likes of IDLES and The Dirty Nil, Human Missile Crisis emphasizes a “friends and family” connection with their audience over traditional stardom. As one of Nova Scotia’s most compelling underground acts, the band continues to evolve their sound from pure punk roots into a dynamic garage-rock force that thrives on the shared energy of a live room.