After a five-year hiatus, WINDOC is back with a vengeance, releasing their new album “Human Error“. This marks their first major release since the 2019 EP “Corruption,” and it’s safe to say the band has taken their time to craft something impactful. WINDOC, a staple of the Niagara Region’s music scene for nearly a decade, has poured their diverse influences into this new collection, making it a powerful representation of their vision.
“Human Error” draws from a wide range of inspirations, spanning 80’s and 90’s hardcore punk, old school death metal (OSDM), and a deep appreciation for horror-movie imagery.
This amalgamation results in a sound that’s raw, aggressive, and authentic. The band’s intention with this album is clear: they want to create a community through their music, one that recognizes the harsh realities of our world while still holding onto hope for a better future.
Lyrically, the album is a rallying cry for change.
It highlights the daily horrors and struggles people face, urging listeners to be the catalyst for the change they wish to see.
“Human Error” serves as a stark reminder that the systems that seem insurmountable are, after all, created by humans and can be dismantled by them as well. The band’s message is clear: even in the face of corrupt, bigoted, warmongering politicians, it’s never too late to fight for a better tomorrow.
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WINDOC has a series of record release shows planned across Ontario in August.
– Friday, August 16, 2024 – Merriton Legion, St. Catharines, ON
– Saturday, August 17, 2024 – Queens Hotel, Barrie, ON
– Sunday, August 18, 2024 – Rainbow Lounge, Ottawa, ON
In our interview below, the band sheds light on the five-year gap between releases, attributing the delay to the pandemic and a desire to perfect their sound. We touched on their name, new scary artwork, dark themes in their lyrics, and the power of small, individual actions to drive significant change.
WINDOC’s members also shared their top albums of the year, and encouraged to support local music and movements, reinforcing their message of community and activism.
For a deeper dive into WINDOC’s journey, inspirations, and plans, read the full interview below.
Why did it take you five years to release new music? What have you been up to over the last few years?
Our last release was in March of 2019, just a two song EP/promo with plans to do a longer release in the future.
We played some shows locally and had ideas for more songs but just a year later obviously everything changed. The pandemic put a halt on any shows and the prospect of releasing something with no one to perform to, for who knows how long, was a little stifling to our creativity.
Fast forward to shows coming back, we knew eventually we wanted to do something but until this point our efforts were always just one or two songs besides our initial demo. We wanted to take the time and care to really make this release reflect what we want Windoc to sound like and give people more than just a few tracks.
The process of writing and recording took awhile, combined with working around the schedules of our other music projects, but we’re really happy with how it turned out.
Where did the inspiration for the title of the new release come from? Tell us more about the lyrical content and the inspiration behind the album’s message. It seems like you’re inspired by humanity’s destructive nature, so what specifically influenced you to write about this?
The name Windoc is taken from the name of a boat that crashed into a bridge near our hometown. Initially I think we all felt this idea was a sort-of “in-joke”, that we would call a hardcore band Windoc as a reference to some obscure disaster in Ontario Canada.
Maybe in some ways the weird name hasn’t helped us, but lyrically we’ve always been prone to calling out the destructive nature of humans and society. The boat crash itself was a result of human error and so much of the mess we find ourselves in is from our own doing and the actions of corrupt leaders/figures of power.
“Human Error” felt like a title that would reference the name of the band but also encapsulate so much of what we write about in our songs. Sometimes it can all feel quite hopeless but I believe calling it out at least lets people know they aren’t alone in thinking what’s going on is not normal. Like Public Enemy said “fuck the game if it ain’t sayin nuttin'”
You say it’s not too late to be a catalyst for positive change. What can we do in these challenging times with so many cruel things happening around us to counteract them?
While I can’t pretend to be the moral compass for everyone or that I have the most succinct answer to this question, I do believe that even small changes in our daily lives can have a major impact, but it takes more than just one person or organization to do it.
Morale has got to be at an all-time low if you’re paying attention even in the slightest. We’re witnessing a genocide in Gaza, leadership races in both Canada and the United States are between war mongering, bigoted imbiciles and more and more people are struggling to get by.
I totally understand the feeling of hopelessness, and I have that sometimes too, but even making small changes in your day-to-day life can be the catalyst for larger change. So much of this is about money. Boycott, divest, sanction – your labour and your money shouldn’t go towards companies that support genocide.
Stop eating at McDonalds or buying Sabra Hummus. If there is a rally in your community for Palestine or a strike on behalf of local workers, it really doesn’t take much to join alongside them.
Be sure to check out Canadian BDS Coalition, who is working together to promote justice for Palestinians.
Tell us a bit about that crazy album cover.
We’re really happy with how the album cover turned out. We approached Seth Neilsen (@sethnielsen1) to do the art and he killed it. The imagery we have used has almost always been inspired by horror movies and this time we wanted to sort of get a 80’s horror VHS cover meets 90’s old school death metal look for the LP.
We sent some of our favourite album covers over as inspiration like Obituary Cause of Death meets Nuclear Assault, and let Seth run wild with it. Hit him up to do your artwork!
You’ve got a few shows planned for August, so tell us about those and whether you’ll be touring further later in the year.
Shows in Niagara are the best they have been in ages – dare I say the best ever. So we can’t wait to do a hometown gig in August and then we have plans to visit some cities where we have been before but just haven’t played there in ages.
Admittedly most of our shows have been within an 8-10 hour drive of home, but if you book us we’ll gladly come visit. We juggle work, family and other bands but really we would love to visit new places, meet new people, eat good food and play with good bands. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that.
We’re halfway through the year, so what are your top albums of the year so far? Give us a brief comment for each pick.
I’m biased but I think all the output from TERMINATOR this year from Niagara has been unreal.
Hardcore punk that pulls no punches and is doing a sound that I think is underrepresented right now. Punk sensibility but unafraid to hit you over the head with a heavy riff or two in the vein of Think I Care or Integrity.
Alienator Time to Die EP has been on rotation a lot.
You’ve got NYHC, Poison Idea and crossover influence all on display with killer vocals and artwork. Not much negative to say – don’t skip it.
Kriegshog – Love & Revenge – I promise the music is ten times better than the album artwork. Unrelenting punk HC.
Candy It’s Inside You is great and I’m looking forward to the new Trail of Lies LP as well.
Charli XCX Brat could also be my current AOTY. I’m missing a ton but frankly this year has been unreal for new releases.
Support local music. Go to shows – but also support local movements towards equity and freedom for all. Free Palestine.
