Album of the Week

Garden Closet – cicada breath

February 19, 2024

Shoegaze is thriving. Scenes in eastern cities like Pittsburgh, New York City, and especially Philadelphia are having surges of creativity and success, yet the sound is relatively untouched in Buffalo. Garden Closet is often in a scene of their own in the 716. The three-piece leans hard into the heavy and dark side of shoegaze, drawing on influences from both classic 90’s bands and the genre’s contemporary forerunners. The lead singer, Kay Stuitje, said: “When I started this project I was really inspired by a movement in shoegaze that’s highly localized in Philadelphia… bands like They Are Gutting A Body of Water, Knifeplay, Bleary Eyed… all those bands. They’re doing this cool shoegaze sound that’s less polished, [and] less clean than a lot of shoegaze that you hear.” “jaundice,” the lead single for the group’s debut project cicada breath was released as a demo in 2022. The album features an updated[...]

Well Kept Things – Weathered For Better

February 15, 2024

Buffalo emo-rock outfit, Well Kept Things, has an interesting history. The group got traction in the local scene with well-loved releases in 2015 and 2016, before they ended up shelving the band for seven years. Check out this older post from 2015 about the band in their early days. It seemed unlikely that the group would ever get back together, but when one of the members, Kody Fintak, moved back to the Buffalo area, the Well Kept Things spark was back in full effect. After this long period of inactivity, the group returned with a release, Weathered For Better, on December 14th. The intro “Pick Scratch” is heartfelt, goofy, and catchy, three common ingredients that make up many great emo tunes. The band mentions that they drew inspiration from Latterman, a melodic punk four-piece from Long Island while recording the intro song with Jay Zubricky at GCR audio. Loud call-and-response[...]

Personal Style – “False Memories”

August 28, 2023

Personal Style is a three-piece punk band from Buffalo made up of Bryan Johnson, Evan Wachowski, and Stephen Floyd. Their latest jam is a crunched-out indie-punk song they’re calling “False Memories” – with ultra chunky guitar distortion, punchy drum sounds, and nimble bass plunking, the trio brings to mind fellow genre luminaries like Parquet Courts, LVL UP, and Cloud Nothings. Of particular note here is Johnson’s soaring vocals, which he uses perfectly to cut through the angular punk grime with plenty of tasty melodies. “False Memories” was recorded at Mammoth Recording Studio here in Buffalo with Justin Smith and Mike Santillo. Be sure to check it out (as well as song two, “Heartbeat Memorial”) on Bandcamp below. False Memories b/w Heartbeat Memorial by Personal Style

Motiks – “House Of Mirrors”

July 26, 2023

Somewhere in the up & coming hip/hop scene in Buffalo, a voice can be heard with sounds of clarity – it comes from Motiks on his latest single, “House Of Mirrors.” The track starts out with Motiks speaking to his fans in the form of placing yourself in a haunted house and hearing somebody talk to you through the speakers but you don’t actually know where they are. The voice effect that resembles this sound is a very good technique for Motiks to grab his fans’ attention right away when they first listen to the track as he says, “I would like to welcome you to the house of mirrors, what you see might not be what you were expecting, we worked hard to get you here…” Telling his fans that he’s grown within his music capabilities and they’re not ready for what’s next to come from the young talented[...]

Matthew Danger Lippman – “Set Up”

April 30, 2023

Matthew Danger Lippman (henceforth MDL), currently residing in NYC but also an erstwhile Buffalonian (anyone still around from 2014? You may remember Brimstone Blondes) and buffaBLOG contributor, brings his single “Set Up” from his upcoming full length Once You Get Low You’ve Gotta Start Flying Baby for your listening pleasure. MDL has previously opened for such artists as Foxygen (a personal favorite of mine), Shonen Knife, and Active Bird Community. We tried to get him to write this review himself but he threw a guitar at the editor when asked. [Editor’s note: this is actually not true, it was a snare drum.] “Set Up” is soulful fucking (soulfucking?) pop-rock ear worm that rewards multiple listens. Carefully curated guitar and a rollicking bass track give way to fun synth interludes and backing vocals a la a gospel revival choir. MDL, ever the enigmatic frontman, opens up his thesaurus and points out the[...]

Quit Yourself – “Strung Out & Grinding Your Teeth”

April 10, 2023

Quit Yourself brings a fun, energetic emo ballad in the form of “Strung Out & Grinding Your Teeth,” the first single from their upcoming EP, IT GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS WORSE. Most of the words I just used don’t entirely do justice to this impressive effort, so I’ll switch gears a bit with a story: It’s sometime in the early aughts and a dear friend named Kelly gave me a copy of Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends that quite literally changed my life (for the better). Comparisons can sometimes be forced or, “eh, I kinda see that,” but in this case, I believe it to be a fair one. Quit Yourself isn’t a TBS clone by any means, but the frantic intro with soulful lyrics; melodic call-and-response vocals; and tapped guitar leads improve that nicely-paved road with enough fervor and passion to stand out on their own.[...]

Cooler – Doom Spiral

March 13, 2023

Cooler, a Buffalo-based three-piece, creates deeply personal, ethereal indie rock fit for the most intimate of moments. Doom Spiral, the group’s 2023 release, is their best work to date. The album centers around themes of opposition and devotion while persistently shifting between a confessional love story. Throughout the project, distance between people is a constantly developing undulation. Cooler braves this emotional disparity while engaging in intricate heart-to-heart discussions. The group fills out their already-strong sound with layers of carefully-laid, familiar guitar lines, sludgy bass flavors, and newfound sleek electronics, resulting in a sound they describe as “dreamo.” The album’s intro, “Gentleman,” was the first recorded with their current lineup, currently consisting of Alley, Jake, and Nick Sessanna. Breaking through the mist, the song’s flagship guitar line is as sentimental as it is catchy, while Alley’s reserved, melancholic delivery dazzles amidst lyrical dejection. “Succulents” is a meditative groover that aims to[...]

Ex-Pat – We Are All Explosives

February 20, 2023

Nostalgia is often guarded by the thick, indeterminate fog of our own memory. Ex-Pat, a Buffalo recording artist, wades through this fog. His time-warping artwork is genuine, soulful, and full of personality. Echoing the most gossamer, faded shades of 90s shoegaze and downtempo, while melting around your ears like a good-as-gold nugget of 50’s doo wop, Ex-Pat is a notable blend, indeed. His sweepingly good 2015 track, “Confusion,” exemplifies his dream pop experimentations (Check out our previous feature on AM 1400). This song excels in a fibrous synthesis of natural and electronic. It offers a soft-on-the-ears mix of creamy synths, while effectively steering into a folksy, way-down-a-country-road harmonica solo. His latest work, We Are All Explosives, is a four-song project halved by recent creations and older archives. The time-capsule of feeling freely drifts through Ex-Pat’s artistic chronology. Its whispery intro track, “The Call to be Happy,” is a minimalist construction[...]

MIMIC – A Thief, Not A Liar.

February 13, 2023

Just before Last Call Entertainment’s BJ’s Fest 2022, the now repurposed Eerie Shores Instagram posted a cryptic announcement. The dive-bar event would be the band’s final performance under their original SUNY Fredonia-born title. A following series of posts transitioned the band’s beloved moniker to a new name, MIMIC. With Eerie Shores in the rearview, “The Longest Road,” is a refreshing introduction to A Thief, Not a Liar. The winding acoustic heartwarmer steers into an EP-defining riff. The dramatic debut single, “Careless,” meets deep-seated anxieties with a relentlessly optimistic attitude. Normalizing this way of thinking, the band says that the song is about “finding happiness in areas of negativity; literally seeing rain and walking into it with a smile.” The music video, shot and edited by Brett Ballachino, reinforces these themes. The lead singer, Alex Vasiloff, finds relief from daily stress by making time for friendship. The gang take the wheel,[...]

Early Bird – “My Town”

January 24, 2023

Buffalo artist Early Bird’s hot new release “My Town” is the latest single following a year filled with numerous new tracks. “My Town” is a party song with smooth vocals featuring  heavy 808’s as well as a catchy hook with repeated lines that will have you singing along. Early Bird’s verses fit perfectly with the beat and carry the momentum through the whole track, creating a flow that feels like it has a current running through it. Early Bird’s music career started in 2016 as lead vocals for a metal group, but he shifted genres for his solo work. Taking influence from various genres including hip hop, rap, R&B, and metal, Early Bird eventually released his first single “Racks” in 2019. When he’s not working on his master’s degree, or locked in the studio, you can find Early Bird hanging out with his friends at the best local Buffalo spots.[...]

Kod!e – Cycle of Man

November 15, 2022

On October 1st, 2002, an artist named Kod!e was born into a life of makeshift homes & painstaking anxiety. To celebrate making it 20 years through this journey of life he calls the Cycle of Man, Kod!e decided to drop a 13 track album titled just that on his twentieth birthday, October 1st 2022. The alt rock/hyperpop inspired album has distinctive vocal textures. On tracks such as “Burn This Town” and “STAY AWAY,” the Buffalo-based artist’s vocals carry similar timbre to a chainsaw in a horror film. Respectively, on tracks like “What is wrong with me” and “Descending,” Kod!e’s voice floats through the atmosphere he’s engineered for himself. The wide range in dynamics and delivery over Cycle of Man is what distinguishes Kod!e from peers in the Buffalo alt rock/hyperpop demographic. A music video with scenes ranging from a cemetery to a Buffalo loft for track six, “I Knew it[...]

Urge Surfer Releases Debut EP, Music Video for “Cursed”

August 18, 2022

Urge Surfer is a brand new Buffalo-based project created by former coworkers Chelsea O’Donnell (Stress Dolls) and Jordan Smith. The duo used the itchiness of pandemic-era angst to inspire their new musical brew – a blippy and hazy blend of modular synth sighs and squelches with hints of guitar. O’Donnell’s distinct vocals lay on top of the music, often sassy and angsty, offering a unique counterpoint to Smith’s dark and calculated creations. The duo exchanged hundreds of emails with no real intention other than to write music… Telling, as their music could fit comfortably next to any Postal Service song (who pioneered this email-based approach back in the early aughts). Fans of Purity Ring, Phantogram, and even Grimes will find lots to like here, as well as synth-heads who can appreciate a tasteful use of arpeggiation and custom-curated patches. They’ve just released a video to accompany lead single, “Cursed.” O’Donnell[...]

Amateur Hockey Club – “Boxed Wine”

June 21, 2022

Buffalo’s Amateur Hockey Club explore a new, tightly-wound pop rock sound on their latest offering, “Boxed Wine.” Bringing to mind the super-polished and sugary-sweet melodies of genre frontrunners like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco (with a splash of the endearing self-awareness of The Front Bottoms), “Boxed Wine” explores a relationship that is aging poorly – like a Bota Box left in the sun. It’s clear that AHC are aiming for that archetypal sing-along summer jam here on “Wine,” so if you’re looking for a song to roll your windows down and throw devil horns to, here’s a good place to start. Check it out on Soundcloud below, or, find “Boxed Wine” on Spotify. Amateur Hockey Club · Boxed Wine

Pr0 Social – “3%”

May 27, 2022

Bringing yet another bubbly bop with his latest single “3%,” the-Buffalo based hip-hop/R&B artist Pr0 Social is a professional at his craft to say the least. Pr0 Social, born Jerrell Lanos, flaunts his caption-worthy bars with such unpredictable flows on the verses and a hook that comes with a harmony you couldn’t forget if you tried. Production-wise, the beat is impeccable, coming at you with dramatic pauses and some sort of clinking noise that has no business sounding as perfect as it does. As smooth as the Pink Panther, Pr0 Social has been popping out to perform at venues such as the Town Ballroom, which makes you wonder: is this a victory lap for his latest single? Or is he gearing up to drop something more? Stay tuned. Stream it on Spotify and Apple Music

tøbin – “Can’t Explain”

May 27, 2022

The intro to the Lost Soul EP via Buffalo artist tøbin seems as if it’s the intro to something more; something bigger. The 18-year-old singer/songwriter speaks on what he “Can’t Explain” in a way anyone can relate to. It sounds almost as if tøbin has found comfort in the numbing concept within the sample saying, “it feels just right, I love it” as he joins in with a haunting yet euphoric “Can’t Explain it.” The verses take you through the thoughts of a Lost Soul and where those thoughts take them. Oh, let’s not forget that this was his debut project; see what I mean when I say it’s something more? Stream it on Spotify and Apple Music tøbin · Can’t Explain