Strange times we are living in. Frustrations have been brewing for many of us, and one way to process negativity is through lyrical catharsis and the pounding of musical instruments.

Circuit of Pain is a brainchild of Sean Alexander Luciw, also known for his guitar instrumentals, meditative Solfeggio Tone music, and electronic alter-ego Lex Plexus. Sean sings and plays all of the instruments on this EP. He also brought some novice-level electronic design skills into the mix by designing the distortion circuits used on the guitars and basses. The vocals are also super-distorted, bringing a bit of industrial edge to the EP.

This batch of high-energy songs was recorded with a lo-fi, garage attitude and, by Sean’s own claims, is heavily influenced by Black Flag’s “Damaged” album, as well as S.N.F.U.’s “...And No One Else Wanted To Play,” Crumbsuckers' "Life of Dreams" and Ministry. By the way, too many “right notes” are boring, so expect a jazz noise here and there.

The lyrics on Circuit of Pain’s EP are themed around emotional independence, the internal fight against apathy, and the antisocial benefits of isolation. “The Mask” is about fearless emotional honesty (not Covid masks), and “Monkey Mind” is about not being your own worst enemy. “Gaslight Parasite” encourages the fierce useage of personal boundaries when necessary. It’s not all bitter, though - “Fiddle on Fire” encourages us to “never give up!” The song “Sisyphus Happy” starts with a quote from the philosopher Albert Camus, and reminds us to seize the day.

Sean says, “Human Nightmare was a fun song to write – I was wishing the world’s problems would all end, and it occurred to me that humans are still too flawed to achieve Utopia anytime soon. So I listed some of my favourite sci-fi entities who could come along and end it all for us, either by reformation or annihilation. I got the chance to include an obscure reference to Power Rangers RPM, which stars Rose McIver from iZombie, as well as a nod to the game Plague Inc.”

All 6 songs on the EP have their own music videos, which can be easily found on YouTube. Most are subtitled!

“I just want to encourage everyone to keep their heads above water and stay golden-hearted in these depressing quasi-apocalyptic times. Peace! Love! Rock and roll!” - Sean Luciw, Circuit of Pain