Latest Posts

Hot Tip – Hold Me, Closely

January 16, 2017

Hailing from Buffalo, Hot Tip delivers a cohesive collection of electrifying cuts on their new 12″ LP, Hold Me, Closely. Formed in 2013, Hot Tip is made up of Katherine Goewey on vocals, drummer, Irene Rekhviashvili, both from the band Pang, guitarist, Stephen Floyd from the Mallwalkers, and bassist, Keely Guiliano from Cross Stitch. Hold Me, Closely was one of those late 2016 releases that needed to be talked about in 2017. The quartet is not one to fall neatly into a singular classification of what it means to be a punk band, that would be too easy. That would be too boring. Instead, what makes the band interesting is the fact that they fill Hold Me, Closely with a balanced assembly of different punk/rock elements. The band prefers to describe themselves as “free punk,” as they’re not just one styling of the genre. They are made up of splatterings of hardcore,[...]

Space is Haunted Drop Full Album Contact

December 14, 2016

Buffalo-based low-fi post-punk duo, Space Is Haunted’s new record, Contact is an energetic barrage of crunchy guitar and ephemeral vocals that are all held up by consistently solid drumming. The duo is made up of primary guitarist and vocalist, Jamie Levy and drummer and vocalist, Katie Quider. Contact was released on local independent label, Drug Party in early December. Those familiar with Space Is Haunted through their local gigs and their two previous releases will notice some songs from the past that have found themselves on Contact, namely “Gone” and “On an Ocean,” from past releases Space is Haunted and For Science respectively. The new renditions of these tracks are tighter, more focused, with an extra bit of polish but still showcase the same drive and combination of elements that make the band so enjoyable to listen to. The group has grown and become more experienced but without having to[...]

Taking Meds – My Life as a Bro

December 9, 2016

Pieces of punk, a pinch of indie, a bit of math rock, and bitter pathos get thrown together to form the sonic base for Rochester, NY four-piece, Taking Meds. Released November 4th via Broken World Media, the band’s full-length debut record, My Life as a Bro is a sonic endeavor that seeks to incorporate math rock inspired riffs with the indie-punk sound that various members in Taking Meds had been playing with in their previous band, Such Gold. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Skylar Sarkis, who left Such Gold in 2013, along with current Such Gold members, lead guitarist and vocalist, Ben Kotin, bassist, Jon Markson, and drummer, Matt Battle. Taking Meds started when Sarkis was a part of Such Gold where he along with Kotin started experimenting with math rock style guitar compositions. My Life as a Bro opens with “Taking Meds” which gets up and going quickly. Full of[...]

Izzy True – Nope

December 2, 2016

Ithaca, NY based indie-punk quartet, Izzy True blends an intoxicating cocktail of catchy, sweet melodies and emotive lyrics to form their debut full length record, Nope. Released in August on New Jersey punk label, Don Giovanni Records, Izzy True don’t strain themselves with trying to be different for the sake of being different. Instead, the four piece use their separate identities to create a sound they can feel good about calling their own. Headed by frontwoman and guitarist, Isabel Reidy,, her brother and lead guitarist,Silas Reidy, bassist, Jon Samuels, and drummer, Angela Devivo. Lead singer, Isabel started making music originally under the name, Fight A Scary Dog, a bluegrassy, indie-folk project. The four members of the band came together first as close friends and played in the Ithaca Underground, an arts and music community in the Ithaca area. Here the band met with co-founder of Don Giovanni Records, Joe Steinhardt.[...]