Buffalo

Hundred Plus Club – “4/19 (Demo)”

September 9, 2024

Hundred Plus Club recently released a freshened version of their first song ever (!), affectionately titled “4/19 (Demo).” Ostensibly a working title or the file’s original name, the group used a ten-year-old idea of the first music they ever wrote that could be considered a fully fleshed-out tune. The trio kept the original recording of the drum track, a tight, jazzy snare-forward beat from drummer Burak Spoth, while adding mysterious lyrics and spindly guitar from singer/guitarist Zain Shirazi. There’s something special about demos recorded in a “tin can basement,” and it’s a fun little development that HPC had the wherewithal to polish this into a proper release. We’ve embedded a Spotify player below for convenience, but be sure to check out all the different ways to support HPC via this helpful Linktree link.

Rodagues – Made Men

June 19, 2024

Buffalo alternative hip hop trio, Rodagues create an experimental yet catchy modern rap sound. Their fizzing sonic concoction fuses many different strains of hip hop, whether that be old school boom bap, houston’s chopped and screwed sound, southern trap, as well as a plethora of related subgenres.  The group’s three man weave of artists is composed of WizzleDaWzRd, puh-GEEZ, and Be_Daylight. To get to know an individual member’s catalog, check out our review for puh-GEEZ’s project LEVELS. Rodagues’ latest release “Made Men” is a collaboration between WizzleDaWzRd and Be_Daylight. The beat, crafted by Wizzle, combines a vaporwave-like, cloud rap aesthetic with a smooth-as-butter west coast bounce. He said of the track:  “I guess for the hook part the inspiration was the Jermaine Dupri and Jay Z song, ‘Money Ain’t a Thang.’ I always say I’m the modern version [of] JD with how my beats [are] sounding.” Wizzle’s gravely voice floats[...]

Nolo the Slayer – Bottega

June 10, 2024

There’s a funny story behind the way Buffalo rapper, Nolo the Slayer got his name. Early on in his music career, while he was going under the name Nolo, he randomly decided to change his Instagram handle to “@nolotheslayer.” On his first official feature, the artist who he had worked with saw his Instagram, assumed that was his artist name and released the feature as just that, “Nolo the Slayer.” At first Nolo was a bit upset about the situation, as it wasn’t his chosen name, but before he knew it, the moniker had already stuck with those around him. He ended up continuting to use it and the word “Slayer” has even become a common adlib for him.  The addition of “The Slayer” gives the name and interesting and unique edge, sounding like the title of some ancient exalted medieval knight. Furthermore, after he’s released and promoted 2023 projects like I[...]

Turnup and GRXZZ – Racin

June 10, 2024

Buffalo alt-rap trio, SPACEBOUND is back with a new single titled “Racin,” a collaboration between two of the members Turnup and GRXZZ. The song features a bustling, noisy instrumental influenced by both old-school Memphis rap and modern southern hip hop. A spiny phonk-inspired cowbell melody gives the hard-hitting song a dark edge. On SPACEBOUND’s louder songs like this one, Turnup often plays the slugger role out of the group taking their tracks to the next level with his hyperaggressive delivery. He draws first blood on “Racin,” yelling his brains out in the tense and repetitive chorus. His following verse introduces the song’s topic, as “Racin” is a risktaker’s ode to living fast or dying young: Jump outta the whip Got the bag on me I ain’t bring no bread If he gotta clip he aint getting all I got Gotta use your head Walking up to the house I was[...]

Wife and Kids – Magnesium

June 9, 2024

Wife and Kids, a newer name in the scene (with some familar faces), have been gaining traction with their candid alt-folk balladry and sweet sense of melody. The duo is composed of Alex Behrens and Joe Morganti (also in SPACED and gas station.) and a quick stream or two of their music shows these guys are downright talented. Wife and Kids’ tender yet poppy strain of indie-folk and strong singer-songwriter chops are on full display in their first two singles, “Possible” and “Way Back When.” Even still, the duo’s latest, “Magnesium,” might be their best yet. The lyrics on “Magnesium” have a real, personal, and weighty quality to them. The singer touches on brief yet sentimental ideas throughout the track, giving the feeling of flipping through a scrapbook of related but separate memories. Despite the lyrical ideas feeling somewhat disparate at times, them being together feels quite important to the songwriter’s[...]

Jesse & the Spirit – a

May 16, 2024

Buffalo to NYC transplant, Jesse James’ experimental project Jesse & the Spirit is back with a new single titled “a” set to release on April 26th. Their Bandcamp bio breaks down Jesse & the Spirit’s sound well: With collaboration from an unexplainable presence known simply as “The Spirit,” Jesse James creates emotional soundscapes in a maelstrom of electronic and acoustic drums, ambient synths, classical guitar, and otherworldly samples, touching on a variety of genres from trip hop, cold wave, and witch house to folk, noise, and raw atmospheric metal.” It’s a true melting pot of cross-genre collusion. If you’re looking to get a good idea of James’ chaotic musical combinations, compare their 2018 gothic avant-folk project, Clairvoyance to the grating experimental noise and dark electronic psychedelia on their project, also from 2018, When the Spirit caught up, I laid face down in the crossroad, clutching the ground with every ounce[...]

the niagara river – complain to the creators

May 16, 2024

This just in, naming yourself after a well-known local landmark may be a cheatcode for getting people to check out your experimental electronic project. You’d have to ask Buffalo-Brooklyn ambient duo, the niagara river if that’s a legit strategy. The two musicians, James Lotterer (Auxcab, Cylo) and Jesse James (Jesse & the Spirit, Dolly Sods) share the name James, as well as an aptitude for creating standout, off-beat electronic music, both in different capacities. Check out our review for Jesse & the Spirit, to get to know the related project’s sound. The niagara river’s recent release, complain to the creators, is a two-song EP that starts with the sprawling, over 17-minute track, “did she exist?” In the first part, a chiming sound that sounds like a reversed piano note acts as the track’s foundation. A cycling key melody and contemplative bell-like synth part creep overtop. At the three-minute mark, a foggy ambient[...]

Luno J and Neftali – The Dramatic

May 16, 2024

Rapper Neftali and producer Luno J have an intriguing history in the local music scene, prior to releasing their recent six-song collaborative project, The Dramatic. Neftali, who started in the scene seven years ago, was a member within the now defunct alternative hip-hop group, FREAK THE MIIGHTY. Lately, he’s releasing solo music as well as fronting Buffalo hardcore band, JEWELTONE. Luno J, a recent transplant to the city in 2021, joined local powerhouse rap group Free Music Party soon after. He began making a name for himself with his unique production style fusing influences from EDM, R&B and hip hop.  Luno said of a specific musical inspiration for The Dramatic, “I really like Flume and in particular the tracks he does with rappers because it’s kind of an untapped genre of EDM-influenced experimental tracks with rapping over top.”  This influence is evident in the intro track, “Too Late,” which combines hip hop[...]

Gatto Black – “Escape You”

May 6, 2024

A recent poster for a show at Amy’s Place in Buffalo described Gatto Black as SSRI post-hardcore and it’s pretty spot on. Sal Mastrocola, the group’s main songwriter, has an anxious and very emo take on hardcore. Mastrocola popped onto the scene a few years back with two 2021 singles and the 2022 EP, 2 Stressed 2 B Blessed, released through local label, Triple Hammer Records. The group’s sound is nostalgic for the emo side of 2000s skramz, but takes it to the next level by moshing it with modern sounds of hardcore, post-hardcore, and even alt-metal. The group’s latest release “Escape You,” explores the apathy of enduring toxic relationships, especially those that find pleasure in the pain of overstaying their welcome. In the song’s opening verse, Mastrocola demands the listener’s attention with an emotionally charged vocal delivery that trembles with palpable rage. Listening to Mastrocola stutter, yell and cry his way[...]

OG Sole – “DEEP END”

April 12, 2024

OG Sole’s latest release “DEEP END” starts with a hair-raising string sample. Shortly after, the drums come in heavy, and OG pounces on the instrumental with confidence and style. “DEEP END” has a hard edge and braggish tone as OG raps about grinding on his craft over a self-produced instrumental. This type of musical confidence is more than warranted. OG has been making a name for himself for quite awhile as he’s been an independent artist for ten plus years. Recent releases like Sushi and “Freestyle 2023” are both worth checking out.  OG Sole is a triple threat, artist, producer, and engineer. He has rapped alongside the likes of Billie Essco, Jae Skeese and Camoflauge Monk, as well as engineered Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn’s 2015 Big Ghost Ltd project, Griselda Ghost. So there’s a reason for the hard-nosed boasting on “DEEP END.” OG Sole’s relentless bars delivered with a uniform[...]

Hundred Plus Club – “Gobsmacked”

April 10, 2024

Hundred Plus Club combines intense, often dark, emotions with an upbeat indie rock style that perfectly mixes the negative and positive. It’s an easy-to-get-into sound applicable to life’s many uncertainties and in-betweens. In their earlier discography, the group often drew inspiration from early 2000’s post-punk revival and indie rock groups such as The Strokes, Interpol, or MGMT. Check out our previous posts on the band to learn more. Yet their most recent release, “Gobsmacked,” finds a bit more in common with 80’s alternative and post-punk groups like The Cure or Echo & the Bunnymen. Sticking to the shadows with an edgier sound, Hundred Plus Club evolves their style substantially on “Gobsmacked,” delving deep into a modern and groovy goth rock sound. An 80’s drum machine loop acts as the rhythmic foundation, while lead singer Zain Shirazi’s open-ended lyrics jump off the page: “I see those menacing eyes / I wanna[...]

puh-GEEZ – LEVELS

April 10, 2024

If you’re out exploring record shops in Buffalo, you might run into local hip hop artist puh-GEEZ who calls music havens like Soul Stop, Black Dots, and Apples and Oranges his home. He shops for his own enjoyment as well as picks up records for his DJ sets which he performs under the name, Knew’d. Inspired by physical media, puh-GEEZ recently released his 2-sided project, LEVELS in segments. The first side dropped on September 21st of last year while the second half came out on March 17th this year. For Bandcamp listeners the entirety of the project has been available in full since the fall. About the release, the rapper and producer said: “I think I made Side 1 available everywhere cause it just seemed like the right thing to do. Side-B was a little more personal in a way and I think I just wanted it to be more[...]

Robbery Club – SHARP AIR / ALONE

April 5, 2024

Robbery Club is Buffalo-style punk rock done right. The group is hot off a killer set on a stacked show at Casa Di Francesca’s on March 7th, and a debut release of two singles released just a few days prior. It may seem like Robbery Club is coming out of nowhere, but that’s not the case. Members within the current lineup have been impressing the local scene with their aggressively catchy blend of pop-punk and emo for quite some time under their previous title, Ghostpool.  Check out our 2018 review, which touched on the “crunchy guitars and hooks aplenty” in their debut EP. Just one nostalgic stream of their 2019 track, “Bug,” will guarantee it to be stuck in your head all day. It’s a chokehold angsty emo melody on a song that still feels punk as hell. Their debut tracks as Robbery Club, “SHARP AIR” and “ALONE” build upon this[...]

MONOMANIAC – Dysphoria / Destined to Question

April 5, 2024

MONOMANIAC are the youngbloods of Buffalo hardcore. Their latest two-song release, Dysphoria / Destined to Question, solidifies the group’s grimy, cacophonous metallic hardcore style. The first of which, “Dysphoria,” is chugging, meaty-riff metal with tortured and fiendish lead vocals. A short verse with a bit of a hip-hop cadence in the middle breaks up the raging track well and must be killer in a live setting. After a seamless transition, “Destined to Question” ups the ante with chaotic, static-like guitar leads that splinter out of control, before the group’s vocalist, Derek Maniscalco, comes in at an eyes-blood-red intensity. An edgy, grating metallic guitar lead cuts through in the middle portion before the group knocks back into another unhinged harrowing hardcore chorus. A strong breakdown at the end of the song closes the two-song EP appropriately. It’s no secret that Buffalo hardcore has been exploding with new bands lately, but MONOMANIAC[...]

Pilot Field – Counterfeits

April 5, 2024

Pilot Field, Buffalo’s resident 90’s to 2000’s nostalgia pop-punkers, are back with their latest release, Counterfeits. For more information on the band check out our last review of their 2023 demo. In summary, a typical Pilot Field song is fast, loud, and catchy. The intro “Heart Attack” is just that. Clocking in under a minute and a half, it builds quickly into a hard-hitting yet melodic piece of rapid, juiced-up pop-punk. Lead singer, Dan McCormick’s catchy yet combative hollering in the verses is balanced out by candied singalong choruses. It strikes the right balance making for some meticulously good pop punk. “Don’t Need” is heavier and comes on strong with a relentless drum beat and speedy riffage. Even in more aggressive moments like this, McCormick, also in the Buffalo hardcore band SPACED, has that thing about him where every line sounds like a never-ending, effervescent hook. The song refers to the[...]