Latest Posts

ALÍSI – “END CREDITS”

London-born Brazilian-Portuguese musician ALÍSI built a slow-burning (but intense) offering with latest single, “END CREDITS.” Her latest is a blown-out alt-pop song that feels hazy on the ears but spikes your attention with bursts of overwrought sound. A sly guitar riff drones on omnipotently, while punchy drums and washy atmospherics keep your head spinning relentlessly. The coup-de-grace is ALÍSI’s vocal delivery – hushed, but filled with attitude, in that glassy-eyed way that keeps a listener feeling detached but intrigued.   “END CREDITS” can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube (below).    

Kicking – “Mourning After”

Kicking and buffaBLOG go way back, not only because of bassist Lacy Ellinwood’s former Buffalonian status, but also because they rip. “Mourning After” is just the latest in a trend of fantastic releases from this doom pop act – expect another round of huge guitars, impassioned vocals, and an overall dark vibe. Straddling the lines between post-punk, shoegaze, and alternative music, “Mourning After” sounds timeless and retro all at once. Stick this on your playlist next to The Cure and Slowdive for an injection of much-needed snarling energy while maintaining that doom-and-gloom ethos.   You can find “Mourning After” on Spotify – part of the Nothing Personal EP.  

Scott C Park – “Marlene”

Scott C Park gets a little irreverent on the off-kilter new single, “Marlene.” Straddling the often-fuzzy line between dissonance and harmony, “Marlene” examines the equally fuzzy lines between self-deprecation, naivety, and frustration. Delightfully wonky guitar energy powers this one forward with chromatic steps that pull delightfully on the ear. Scott leans into the humanity in the music, offering a refreshing “realness” in our often AI-drenched landscape… It’s a fantastic listen that we’re obsessed with, perfect for fans of JW Francis, Pavement, and Wilco.   Check out “Marlene” via the YouTube embed below, or, via Spotify.    

Quality Living – “Moon Is Out”

Quality Living describe “Moon is Out” as a terror… I mean, sure, that’s one way to look at it, but we’d happily fall asleep to this hazy indie pop dreamscape. Warbling guitars flutter in your ears while warm and washy vocals swirl around in your head like a nighttime fog. The band is riding high having recently completed their latest EP, Glacier, due out soon. If “Moon Is Out” is any indication of the band’s overall appeal, we’re about ready to get really icy. We are HQ’d in Buffalo, after all.   Check out “Moon is Out” via the conveniently-embedded Spotify widget below.  

Odile Ohms – “Don’t Give It Wings”

Odile Ohms knows a thing or too about nipping things in the bud… Even a cursory listen to new single “Don’t Give It Wings” makes that pretty evident. Through boxy drums, a digestible four-chord progression, and Odile’s haunting-but-enticing vocal presence, “Don’t Give It Wings” feels soothing, even in it’s powerful message. You know we like to hear from the artist themselves in scenarios like this – here’s what Odile has to say about the lore of “Don’t Give It Wings:”   “I think stability is most important during your teenage years, and for me, that was when everything was uprooted. It created a dissonance between who I thought I was and who I was becoming. When your world catches fire and you can’t stop it, you start to believe that’s your life, and that you’re no better. ‘Don’t Give It Wings’ is about catching that lie before it learns how[...]

Overnight Parking – “Mercy Might Martyr Me”

They just don’t make ’em like this anymore, folks. Gone are the ’90s and early ’00s where bands got in a room and made some quiet/loud Midwest emo, but Overnight Parking is here to remedy that. Elements of Braid, Unwound, and American Football radiate out from this jangly jam, which artfully combines twangy, Telecaster (TM) tone with fuzz-laden walls of sound. It’s noisy, it’s heartfelt, and it was recorded on a Tascam 388… So if you’re a fan of Deep Elm Records, Jade Tree, or Polyvinyl Records’ output, you’ll have no qualms adding this one into your rotation.   Check out “Mercy Might Martyr Me” via the bandcamp embed below, or, on Spotify. Mercy Might Martyr Me by Overnight Parking

Planer – Feel It Too / Dial

Minneapolis-based quartet Planer recently released a two-song split featuring two new songs, “Feel It Too” and “Dial.” The band specializes in a sludgy amalgamation of ’90s grunge; Midwest, DIY-style emo, and post-rock. Influenced strongly by the Big Muff and Rat (TM) warriors of the ’90s – think J. Mascis or Kevin Shields – with a healthy dose of contemporaries like Cloakroom, Superheaven, and Citizen. Ruthlessly sincere and with a true, genre-confirming DIY energy, Feel It Too / Dial feels timeless and contemporary all the same.   Opener “Feel It Too” is perfect post-rock-influenced emo. A simple, descending guitar lead is all it takes to know this one’s going to crush your spirit in the best way. Heavily distorted guitars jangle atop a sloshy drumbeat. Vocals sigh and moan with genuine hurt. The song itself even implodes on itself, gradually degrading over time into nothingness… But Planer’s real strength comes from their penchant[...]

Jack Landess – “Everytime”

Nashville-based solo act Jack Landess hit our inboxes with the surfy bedroom-pop of latest single, “Everytime.” Jack’s music is ultra-soothing – almost aquatic, and reminiscent of the oceanic scene that he used as his album cover. Plush guitars twinkle underneath Jack’s hushed vocal delivery – catchy and calming all the same. Through and through, “Everytime” is a love song – here’s a little bit more about the song’s inspiration from Jack himself:   “This song is about just wanting the love of my life, Jane, to be with me just as she is. Bringing forth both the hard times and the great times, I just need her at her core.”   You can find “Everytime” via the YouTube embed below and also on Spotify.    

Alela Diane – “Dusty Roses”

Alela Diane is a Portland songcrafter whose been carving out a quietly extraordinary career for more than a decade. “Dusty Roses” is her latest stunner – a folksy meander that highlights her darkly heartfelt vocals. Acoustic guitar twinkles gently behind Alela’s vocals, set off by gentle drumming and stabs of thumping bass. The heavy nature of the song is part of the appeal here, and it’s powerful enough to let Alela explain for herself – see below:   “I wrote this song about a dear friend of mine whose path took a wrong turn a number of years ago. I think she’s still alive, but no one knows where she ended up. I believe that we all have the capacity to lose ourselves along the way. I’ve seen it happen again and again, whether through mental health struggles, drug use, addiction, trauma, depression, or grief. So many of us have[...]

Bending Backwards – “I See You From Here”

Copenhagen-based act Bending Backwards brings their power trio energy with latest single, “I See You From Here.” We hesitate to use the term “power trio,” although “I See You From Here” is certainly powerful in its own right. Bending Backwards’ music is jittery, jangly, and unsettling in the perfect way, set off by a haunting wail that cuts right to the bone. This one made us feel things, and we think it will make you feel things to – hence, the feature.   You can find “I See You From Here” via the Bandcamp embed below.   I See You From Here by Bending Backwards

Autoignition – “Not For Nothing”

Buffalo punk rockers Autoignition are ready to blow out your speakers with a new EP – they’ve started strong with new single, “Not For Nothing.” After three long years of waiting, this is exactly the kind of song you want to hear from your local punk mainstays – lyrics barked with such ferocity that you can almost feel the spittle flying at you from the Mohawk Place stage, set off by blistering drums and huge guitars. These are the kind of songs you need to sit down and form your own bond with, so if you’re into emotional stuff that’s supremely guitar-driven, Autoignition is definitely going to be your thing.   “Not For Nothing” is out now – all the different ways to listen can be found here.    

Axel Flóvent – Fleeing the Shore

Axel Flóvent comes to us all the way from Iceland with his latest EP, Fleeing the Shore. This batch of songs is truly an exercise in self-isolation – Axel holed up in his home studio in Húsavík, challenging himself to explore simplicity through solitude. Some might call this the “Bon Iver method,” but after a listen through the quiet crush of Fleeing the Shore, we’re feeling like we might have to rename it… Here’s a little snippet from Axel himself regarding what this EP means to him:   “If I had to choose three words to describe this EP, they would be change, self-isolation, and solitude. These songs explore different forms of change, changes of the mind, of place, and a longing for transformation in general.”   You might be expecting nothing but an acoustic guitar, but opening song “Another Year” is as lush and beautiful as anyone could ever ask for.[...]

Robbery Club – “Never Better”

Robbery Club can add breaking and entering (and probably trespassing) to their list of crimes – the evidence is clear in their new video for single “Never Better.” In the video, the sharply-dressed band plays a squiggly, Joyce-Manor-meets-Weezer brand of indie punk on some random Buffalo rooftop. Crunchy guitars and melodies aplenty, the song isn’t so much a departure for them – moreso an evolution. Lyrics like “I’m not a child anymore” and “everything is okay” offset the more angsty material from their past, with just enough vagueness to keep you guessing on whether they’re tongue-in-cheek. The visual motifs in the video are cheeky, but cool – keep your eyes peeled for an omnipresent smiley balloon, cowboy hats, and… chickens?   Check out the music video for “Never Better” embedded below. While you’re at it, check out our previous features of Robbery Club here and here.    

Lukka – “TomboI”

Here’s a reverb-soaked, synth-driven jam for you – our latest recommendation is “Tombol” from NYC-based psychedelic-synth band Lukka. Expect tasteful riffing, a heady groove, arpeggiated synths, and glassy-eyed vocals; perfect for blissing out, but catchy enough to become deeply ingrained in your head. For all the songwriters out there, “Tombol” is one of those songs that you have to derive meaning from once it’s already done… But Lukka have done a fine job explaining it otherwise – see below:   ” I guess ‘Tomboi’ is about tapping into both your masculine and feminine sides—and actually loving that mix. I feel it’s also a self-celebration of my Gemini energy, leaning into that duality and just owning it.”   “Tombol” is available on Spotify (and Soundcloud, below).   lukka · TomboI

Tomdahomie – “Ego”

Tomdahomie is the new solo moniker for producer/songwriter/mastermind Tom Hitchcock – we’d like to think we’d be homies after hearing his latest bedroom-pop jammer, “Ego.” Expect lots of jangling guitars, offset by a neurotic drum-machine beat and Tom’s endearing vocal delivery. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this song tackles the complex issue of the “male ego,” and the ways it can affect the way us menfolk move through the world. We could all use an ego check every now and then, so let your new homie Tom do it through song – a shimmery one at that.   “Ego” is on Soundcloud, embedded below. You can also find it on Spotify and Apple Music.   tomdahomie · Ego