Sedatives

The debut release from Ottawa, ON's Sedatives is as pop-inspired as it is dark and desolate. Similar in style to the Adverts, '80s era the Damned and Seattle's the Spits, Sedatives play a gothic-tinged brand of garage punk complete with ferocious down stroke guitars and unrelenting eighth notes on the hi-hats balanced with haunting organs and gloomy lyrics delivered with a state of urgency. Every song is pure trashy fun laced with great vocal hooks, most notable on "Guilty," "Powerlines" and "Slip Away," the latter being the disc's flawless closer. Sedatives have managed to put together a surprisingly impressive album crammed full of exciting, fuzzed-out anthems that bleed white heat and raw energy. Sedatives they may be but these guys show no signs of mellowing out.