Nap Eyes hail from Halifax, where they craft unkempt rock songs that are steeped in tradition yet impossible to pin down. Nigel Chapman sings with an observational deadpan that echoes back to the likes of Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, and David Berman. When he’s not busy working as a biochemist, he gets all wryly poetic (see: Whine Of The Mystic, the name of the extremely limited 2014 LP Paradise Of Bachelors will reissue this year, which shoots a cockeyed grin in Omar Khayyám’s direction). On “Dark Creedence,” he spins a yarn about science, spirituality, and strong drink while his bandmates slowly turn up the heat on the Bunsen burner. “When it starts, it’s already begun,” Chapman sings, his voice wavering and wobbling along with the incessant churn. As gorgeous white noise spills out over the pounding toms and off-kilter strums, Chapman depicts an awkward Christmas Eve encounter: “For sure don’t understand your ritual, but I am drinking your wine again.” This guy spends his days studying the infinite complexity of seemingly simplistic cells, and his songs function the same way. There are worlds inside this little three-chord lament.

Nap Eyes have some summer tour dates lined up:

06/11 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (Northside Festival) *
06/13 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ^
06/16 Montreal, QC @ Drones Club %
06/17 Ottawa, ON @ Club Saw %
06/22 Winnipeg, MB @ Handsome Daughter %
06/23 Saskatoon, SK @ Vangelis Tavern %
06/24 Edmonton, AB @ Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus %
06/25-28 Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival %
06/29 Kelowna, BC @ Fernando’s %
06/30 Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria %
07/02 Victoria, BC @ Logan’s Pub %
07/06 Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar %
07/07 Boise, ID @ Neurolux %
07/10 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room %
07/11 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews %
07/13 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle %
07/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop %
07/15 Windsor, ON @ Phog Lou %
07/18 Toronto, ON @ The Smiling Buddha %
07/31-08/02 Sackville, NB @ SappyFest

* w/ Jacco Gardner
^ w/ Ex Hex
% w/ Monomyth

Whine Of The Mystic is out 7/10 on Paradise Of Bachelors/You’ve Changed. Pre-order it from Paradise Of Bachelors, iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, or You’ve Changed.