Rochester

Fuzzrod – III

September 4, 2024

Rochester’s Fuzzrod is a no-nonsense kind of band. In a world full of twinkly and ethereal lo-fi beats to study and chill to, Fuzzrod’s latest EP, III, might function as the exact opposite. Sure, there’s a time and a place for mood music, but there’s no substitute for heading out to the Bug Jar on a Friday night and having your eardrums destroyed by a dimed Big Muff. Fuzzrod aims for a happy medium – produced by drummer Stephen Roessner (as always), III is a rare, fuzzed-out record that focuses on songwriting as much as its fun, punked-0ut live energy. It’s intentionally five (5) songs in length – a “healthy dose to support daily use” for those of us relegated to our nine to fives. “Map of Outside” kicks off the album with a spitty guitar riff, spring-loaded with plenty of retro punk energy. The sludgy tones here are masterfully captured[...]

Seldon – The Truth

June 19, 2024

Rochester up-and-coming jazz-pop band, Seldon, just dropped their second single “The Truth.” The group met at and are based out of Eastman School of Music, but hail from a variety of places, Las Vegas, Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and the list goes on. The, lets just say, this American seven-piece cultivate an impressive fully-fledged soulful jazz-pop sound despite only forming in fall of 2022. Their first release and prior single, “I Still Want You,” excels in dazzling listeners with luscious R&B melodies and a subtle funk groove. The group perfectly meshes behind lead singer, Lily Bogas while a jazzy sax solo rounds out the track’s second half. Seldon explores an even more emotive sound on their new one, “The Truth,” an appropriately named slowburner about honesty within heartbreak. It starts with a contemplative solo acoustic guitar part before Bogas comes in with poignant lead vocals. Strings creep in as[...]

Jimso Slim – 3 is the Number

June 19, 2024

Shane Joyce is Rochester’s one man indie rock wrecking crew. Joyce is a talented multi-instrumentalist and his project, Jimso Slim is a jewel in the Western New York music scene. Of his project, Joyce said: “I record and play all of the parts. The only exception is a recent song called ‘Brother’s Dead’ where my friend Russell Brinkman recorded the bass.” He continued, “Everything is recorded out of my basement. I have a drum kit, a few guitars, a bass, a couple amps and a couple microphones. I’m certainly not an expert at recording or instrumentation, but I just do what I can and see what happens.” His latest release 3 is the Number, is an EP composed of, you guessed it, three great indie tunes. On the first track, “Rita Says,” Jimso Slim’s nasally Dylan-esque delivery grabs the listeners attention over a swooning instrumental. Backing chorus vocals add dimension and[...]

Vibropath – “Snare”

March 6, 2024

“Snare” is the latest from Rochester native Frank Marino-Moore, an artist and producer making music under the name Vibropath (good band name, honestly). Being that he’s so close to us geographically and puts out some catchy tunes, you can see our previous coverage here. The opening bass line is laid on delightfully thick and given time to shine for the first 45 seconds, eventually giving way to vocals, drums, and guitar – the latter of which has the fuzzy lo-fi effect turned to 11. I’m simultaneously given My Bloody Valentine and Gish era Smashing Pumpkins vibes with the whole track and I frankly couldn’t get enough. The rawness and the myriad layers of this track really resonated with me, and if you enjoy this you’ll certainly want to check out his other work. You can find “Snare” and more over on Spotify, or check it out below from his Sound[...]

Into The Light – Into The Light

December 27, 2023

Rochester-based act Into The Light formed in 2022 and boasts an impressive pedigree of Rochester talent – think members of Bad Bloom, Union, Hard To Know, The Silence Broken, and Achilles. This particular crew is influenced by shoegaze, indie rock, and post-hardcore like Failure, Catherine Wheel, and Quicksand; said influences come through strongly on their debut EP, the self-titled Into The Light (ITL). The quartet worked with record producer Steve Sopchak (of Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills fame) to create a gritty, guitar-forward album full of raw aggression, chugging chords, and cathartic emotions. It has just as much in common with crushing ’90s grunge like Soundgarden, your favorite Deftones album, and modern-day acts like Superheaven and Teenage Wrist. Album opener “The Thorns of Life” introduces you to the hallmarks of ITL – expect spindly guitar leads laden with thick distortion tones; a rock-steady bassline that’s just as nimble; and[...]

bugcatcher – Slacker

March 21, 2023

Rochester act, bugcatcher, write big acoustic-indie tunes for little, yet important moments in their debut full length, Slacker. On the intro song, “Roller,” the project’s lead vocalist, songwriter and main member, Jake Denning, questions changes in his life while a tender guitar riff fades in and out. Responding with indifference, Denning’s voice echoes back onto itself with the vacant phrase “well okay, well alright,” as the instrumentation kindles the project’s gentle, slacker rock sound. Denning has multiple meanings for the title, as he feels there is “a malaise to the way the album flow[s], as it’s “generally pretty mid tempo,” yet he also said it took a long time for him to make, “maybe even too long.” He referred to its origins in late 2020, and how he moved around a couple times during its development. A dreamlike short-story-tune, “Daisy Vs The Grim Reaper,” was one of the first completed.[...]

Carpool – For Nasal Use Only

February 7, 2023

Since Carpool’s 2020 release of Erotic Nightmare Summer, the Rochester band has played on Audiotree, added a synth player, toured the country, worked with content creator, hate5six, and yelled “quit a job and fuck every single cop” wherever they went. That’s quite a streak for the underdog emo act, nicknamed Carpy for short. Carpool also became experts on saltines, see tour announcement for more information. The group’s emo-rollercoaster-rock sound oscillates between sugary indie-rock, walloping pop-punk, and derailing math pop fluidity. The moshpit-fuse band throw their weight behind important messages, whether they are handing out police abolition zines or approaching tough lyrical topics like substance abuse, mental health and failing relationships. Their latest work, a five song EP titled For Nasal Use Only, challenges listeners while expanding upon their familiar sound. More danceable than ever, Carpool inject their gravely relatable tunes with upbeat synth ebullience. The lead single and intro track,[...]

Virtual Perfection Cowboy – “Stoned Ape”

December 1, 2022

“There’s really no point to any of this, so please enjoy.” Wise words from recent Rochester native Virtual Perfection Cowboy – they caught our ears with the unique synthwave textures found on their latest single, “Stoned Ape.” Reminiscent of a late 90s video game soundtrack, “Ape” is both soothing and invigorating; it’s full of futuristic synth swoops; ethereal swells; and a neurotic drum beat. With its unique influences, it’s best to hear from VPC themselves – here’s a little bit about the song in their words: “A liquid drum n bass track inspired by the soundtrack of Ape Escape by Soichi Terada and Terrence McKenna’s Stoned Ape Theory. The soft, ethereal sounds and cute animated music video will make you nostalgic for the old PS1 games of the 90’s, while also bringing you into the modern day of psychedelic experimentation. We are an ape with a symbiotic relationship to a[...]

Vibropath – “Overboard”

October 23, 2022

Here’s a cool one from Rochester-based act Vibropath – they sent over the bedroom-pop glory of “Overboard” and we loved it immediately. With a warm, vinyl-record production to the track, Vibropath makes use of plucky guitars, Casio-keyboard drums, and an endearing vocal style to create something catchy and refined. About the song, Vibropath explains: “[‘Overboard’ is] a song about obsessive, over-idealized love. Lyrics are written from the POV of the obsessed individual, who is fully aware their feelings are romanticized, in love for the wrong reasons, but unable to rationalize it away.” ICYMI, we’ve also highlighted a previous single of theirs, “Turning Inside” – be sure to check that out too. You can also find the rest of Vibropath’s discography on Spotify. Vibropath · Overboard

The Demos – “Streetlight Glow”

July 21, 2022

Our Rochester neighbors in The Demos just released a new single, “Streetlight Glow,” that shows off their penchant for writing hooky indie-garage riffs. With its synth-laced choruses; smart pop sheen; and angular indie rock guitar stabs, “Glow” reminds us of The Strokes; Cold War Kids; or even their fellow Rochesterians in Joywave. About the song, The Demos say: “Youthful love under the glow of a streetlight. Streetlight Glow is a song about your first love and the feeling that no matter what happens, everything thing will be alright as long as you are with them.” You can also find “Streetlight Glow” on Spotify. thedemosmusic · Streetlight Glow

Animal Sounds – “Miles (Jonas Song)”

May 18, 2022

Leave it to the Rochester band Animal Sounds to present us with a song that you could bellow through canyons far and wide. Built around a bouncing bassline and twinkly guitar textures, their latest, “Miles (Jonas Song),” sounds of an echoed call for salvation that we’ve heard in our heads from time to time. “It’s hard to build up a temple on miles and miles and miles of wasteland” is a line I had to take a second to digest in full, and as soon as I did, I was hit right in the feels. Feeling like doing some constructive reflecting on your past for a better future? Listen to Animal Sounds. Stream it on Apple Music and Spotify 

Lower Expectations – “Talking To Myself”

May 5, 2022

The alt-rock band from Rochester by the name of Lower Expectations raised the bar on their latest offering, “Talking To Myself.” The lyrics “when I tell you it’ll be alright, I’m talking to myself,” hit me harder than a train. The righteous rock tune explores the idea of fighting the façade you bring upon your everyday life. It’s a message that sounds comforting coming from someone else; we have Lower Expectations to thank for that. Stream it on Spotify & Apple Music Talking To Myself by Lower Expectations

Katie Morey – Friend of a Friend

April 19, 2022

About two minutes and thirty two seconds into Friend of a Friend, I downloaded the LP in its entirety. It was at that moment I knew that Katie Morey did not come to just play guitar or sing some songs; she came to create a moment that would last forever. The musical artist from Rochester has had quite the year so far with seven singles, a whole collaborative project with Pleistocene called Ontario Girls, and most recently, her debut LP Friend of a Friend… and it’s only April. She’s given us several years worth of music in the span of three months; Morey is a seasoned musician, but it almost makes rookie of the year sound like an understatement. Album opener, “Hotter Than Heaven” is an excellent distillation of Katie’s work. The song starts with plunking piano chords laid overtop simple electronic drum samples that together, create a warm and[...]

Vibropath – “Turning Inside”

April 8, 2022

The light production blanketed over “Turning Inside” by Vibropath has the goldilocks factor of being just right. Rochester-based artist Vibropath, born Frank Marino-Moore, who I originally thought was a band is a tranquil experience to listen to. I could only imagine how laid back and relaxed his live sets are. It’s artists like Vibropath that inspire others to create their very own brand-like delivery when it comes to compiling sounds into symphonies, and that delivery is evidently displayed on “Turning Inside.” Stream it on Spotify and Apple Music Vibropath · Turning Inside

Arvid – “Ghosty”

March 10, 2022

Enter the Rochester-based artist Arvid’s realm as he pushes the wave of psychedelia with a lo-fi sense of elegance. “Ghosty” off of his latest project Pyreburning is undoubtedly the purest example of Arvid’s electronic art. This is the kind of music that makes you physically feel a sensation of vibrations riding up your stomach to the top of your head. I’m not sure if Arvid brought us “Ghosty” from a happier place but it sure will take you to one – surprisingly, it’s a song about the death of a loved one. Check it out on Spotify and Apple Music