Latest Posts

Kitchen – Blue Heeler in Ugly Snowlight, Grey on Gray on Gray on White

April 10, 2025

Since 2016, James Keegan’s buzzing musical project, Kitchen, has steadily carved out a distinct space in Rochester with its consistent output of introspective lo-fi folk. Now, Kitchen delivers its most substantial chapter yet with the arrival of Blue Heeler in Ugly Snowlight, Grey on Gray on Gray on White, the recording project’s sixth full-length album, comfortably venturing into double album territory across 20 diverse tracks. The sprawling and remarkably cohesive collection explores the corners of Keegan’s sonic range and unique songwriting styles.   The album primarily operates within a spectrum bookended by hushed, intimate acoustic pieces and more fleshed-out, full-band indie rock arrangements. The lo-fi aesthetic, a hallmark of Kitchen’s work, remains central, lending an air of closeness and immediacy to the recordings. Whether it’s a solitary acoustic guitar and Keegan’s refreshingly unvarnished vocals or a more layered composition, the production often feels like a private performance. This intimacy gets[...]

Foothands – Off of the Roof

April 3, 2025

Buffalo-based songwriter Erik Happ, operating under the solo moniker Foothands, recently unveiled his third EP, Off of the Roof. Self-released on March 10th, this six-song EP follows 2021’s Gentle but Firm and 2023’s Year of the Year, further developing the project Happ launched after his time in groups like False Pockets and Pomelo. The release continues the trajectory of his distinctive brand of intricate acoustic math rock and snags our album of the week.   The defining characteristic of Off of the Roof is its intricate density. Happ masterfully layers acoustic guitar lines, creating complex rhythmic patterns and rich textures that often feel like output from a fully-kitted band. Comparisons could be drawn to the rhythmic propulsion of The Dodos, the textural layering of early Animal Collective, and the melodic acoustic sensibilities of Owen, yet the combination feels distinct, especially for the WNY region.   Listeners familiar with Foothands’ earlier[...]

HitGRL – Are We Sure About This?

March 27, 2025

Fredonia-based HitGRL makes their formal introduction with the release of their debut EP, Are We Sure About This?, which landed as a self-released five-song set on March 1st. The first official outing from the band – comprising Sarah Burke (vocals), Katherine Wynn (cello, vocals), Ryan Terry (guitar), Michael Tumbaco (bass) and Gordon Hall (drums) – immediately signals a creative approach that resists easy categorization. While rooted in alternative rock, their sound readily pulls from the grit of grunge alongside the melodic and sometimes atmospheric leanings of indie rock, establishing a broad sonic canvas right from the start. Following the release of the single “BREAK U” in February, this collection serves as an initial exploration of the band’s dynamic range and emerging musical identity.   The EP establishes its stylistic range immediately through contrast. It opens with “Becoming Someone,” a track leaning into indie and beach rock sensibilities, carried by a[...]

Rattlesnake Jake – Oh, How Easy

March 20, 2025

Rattlesnake Jake, the moniker of Buffalo-based songwriter Jake Marciniak, has unveiled their debut EP, Oh, How Easy, a vibrant collection of five tracks that navigate the complex terrain of love, loss, and self-discovery. Released independently on March 1st, the EP arrives as a welcome spring offering, it’s colorful wildflower cover mirroring the warmth and eclectic energy found within. Following a single released last November, the EP introduces Marciniak as a main player in the power pop scene. Oh, How Easy is our album of the week.   Oh, How Easy showcases Marciniak’s self-sufficient approach, as they wrote, recorded, and produced the entire EP themselves. The sonic landscape traverses a range of genres, from the punchy power pop of “Needed,” to the emotionally charged indie rock of “Three Little Words,” which incorporates synth alongside massive group vocals. Album opener “Through the Walls” dives immediately into the EP’s themes, showcasing the artist’s[...]

Alex Berkley – 28 Days of Fun 4: 30 Second Songs

March 13, 2025

This week’s Album of the Week spotlight shines on a delightful, recently re-released gem from Buffalo’s own Alex Berkley: 28 Days of Fun 4: 30 Second Songs. Berkley, a respected figure in the local songwriting scene, is known for his stripped-down folksy bedroom pop, and this album perfectly encapsulates that aesthetic. 28 Days of Fun 4 is the fourth installment in Berkley’s “Fun-a-Day” series, a project where he commits to writing and recording a song every day in February. This particular iteration, originally a somewhat hushed release on SoundCloud back in 2017, found it’s way to Bandcamp this past February to join Berkley’s first three Fun-a-Day installments. A self-imposed challenge of keeping each track around 30 seconds long finds Berkley embracing the fleeting on this go-around, a move that distills the songwriting to a playful, honest core.   The Fun-a-Day project itself has roots in the Buffalo arts community, originating[...]

Survey Channel – Functional Gloss

March 6, 2025

Buffalo’s ever-evolving electronic music scene continues to yield fascinating projects, and Survey Channel, the alias of Matt Donatelli, stands firmly at the forefront of its ambient exploration. With Functional Gloss, Donatelli delivers his fifth full-length album, adding another meticulously-crafted chapter to a discography that has steadily blossomed since his 2019 debut, Mulberry. In the intervening years, Survey Channel has has become synonymous with a particular brand of thoughtful, exploratory electronica, gathering a respectable following from such a prolific output over the past six years. Functional Gloss is our album of the week.   At its core, Functional Gloss operates within the realm of ambient electronica, yet it’s an ambient experience imbued with a restless energy. While certain tracks embrace beat-driven structures, the album as a whole resists easy categorization, comfortably inhabiting the spaces of IDM while pushing against the conventional boundaries of electronic music. Listeners familiar with titans like Boards[...]

Rotten UK – Age of Chaos

February 27, 2025

Grab your leather jackets and bullet belts because Rochester metal punk veterans Rotten UK are back with a vengeance on their sophomore full-length album, Age of Chaos.   Bandmates James von Sinn, Matt Sexxx, Anarchy Jake, and Fran Damage violate your speakers with their distinct style of 80’s UK crust punk forged with gothic undertones, thrashy power chords, and dominating drums. von Sinn’s vocals are straight from the depths of a London dungeon as he shouts and howls songs of revolution, horror and the occult. Their snobbish, drawling delivery adds a thick layer of anarchistic attitude that rounds out Rotten UK’s throwback speed metal sound.   Age of Chaos doesn’t waste any time melting your face off with the opening track, “Annihilation Desecration.” It’s a hyper shot of pure adrenaline that will get your heart pounding. Like a runaway rollercoaster, Damage’s frenetic kick-snare drums propel the track at warp speed[...]

Robbery Club – Loot

February 20, 2025

Punk rock will never die – and Buffalo four-piece Robbery Club (RC) are here to prove it. Doesn’t it feel like nobody wants to start up a guitar band anymore? Nobody told RC – and while this isn’t their official debut (and they’ve formed from the ashes of previously-beloved act Ghostpool), it’s a much-anticipated continuation of what promises to be a beloved oeuvre. They’re calling this one Loot, a perfectly succinct, five-song drop of songs made to play at unreasonable volumes in a sweat-soaked basement. Top it off with a healthy dose of existential dread and you have yourselves our album of the week.   The EP kicks off with “Bitter Pills,” an adrenaline-soaked blast of fun emo punk energy – what else? Spitfire guitars, punched-up drumming, and gritty bass will be the calling cards throughout this EP – for a batch of punk songs, you don’t need much else.[...]

Jaugust – Functional Gray

February 6, 2025

In the quiet spaces between other projects, Buffalo-based duo Jaugust refines its voice. Comprised of Anthony Del Plato and Nick Sessanna–musicians already well-known within the city’s indie circles for their work in bands like Everything In Waves, Cooler, and Genesee Hotel–Jaugust returns with Functional Gray, their sophomore EP. Self-produced in Del Plato’s home studio during moments carved out from busy schedules, this collection of songs shares a creative headspace, blending emotional indie pop with a distinct electronic pulse. Functional Gray places Jaugust in conversation with similar acts like The Postal Service and Washed Out, yet establishes their own distinct collaborative approach that expands on the emotional core of the duo’s 2023 debut. Functional Gray is our album of the week.   The new EP is built on a foundation of contrasts, where analog warmth meets digital precision. Jaugust combines digital found sounds, shimmering synths, and understated drum machines with the[...]

Humble Braggers – New Life

January 30, 2025

Humble Braggers have polished up some uncut gems. A heavy-hitter in Buffalo’s synthpop space, the band has just dropped their third full-length album, New Life, which–as the band describes on Instagram–isn’t just a collection of new tracks. Instead, their latest effort is a curated selection of songs spanning their eleven-year history, all of which originate from demos first recorded between 2014 and 2022. The songs, now repurposed and packaged into a tidy ten-song LP, give listeners a peek behind the curtain and a glimpse into the evolution of their sound over the last decade. New Life is our album of the week.   Singer Tom Burtless described the album’s genesis as a retrospective look at their unreleased material around the band’s tenth anniversary mark. Their guiding principle for completing these songs was one of restraint: minimal new elements were incorporated, existing arrangements were largely preserved, and any intelligible lyrics remained,[...]

Ismatic Guru – An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information

January 23, 2025

Buffalo’s Ismatic Guru, the hyperactive prog-punk brainchild of John Toohill (aka Science Man) and Bran Schlia (aka Helmsley), has finally unleashed their long-awaited full-length album, An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information. This isn’t your typical album release; it’s a culmination of a years-long recording project, a sonic archive of the duo’s relentless creativity. Over the past few years, Toohill (guitars, vocals, lyrics) and Schlia (bass, organ, drums, production) have meticulously crafted and released a series of numbered EPs, each a limited edition cassette run, building a following through their respective labels (Swimming Faith & Steak and Cake) and beyond. Now, those EPs, along with five brand new tracks, have been compiled into a 26-song, breakneck journey that encapsulates their self-described “idiot-prog punk adventure.” The band’s growing fanbase is well-deserved; with over 15k monthly listeners on Spotify and a dedicated Bandcamp following, it seems Ismatic Guru’s brand of chaos is striking[...]

Carmen & Lizzy – Dissolving

January 16, 2025

For the better part of a decade, Buffalo folk-duo Carmen & Lizzy have quietly woven themselves into the fabric of Buffalo’s music scene, having built a following with their heart-on-your-sleeve songwriting, finely-tuned vocal harmonies, and a sound that blends folk intimacy with indie sensibilities. Now a recognized force, the duo–made up of cousins Carmen O’Keefe and Lizzy Bassler–has just released Dissolving, their first substantial offering of new music in over 5 years. This 6-song EP finds the duo gently pushing the boundaries of their established folk aesthetic for a sound that matures alongside their songwriting and keeps the mystifying qualities that put them on Buffalo’s map. Dissolving is our album of the week.   Dissolving widens the scope of Carmen & Lizzy’s discography. While their earlier work, like the 2019 full-length Climate, leaned into a starry-eyed folksy vulnerability, the new EP is a bit more enigmatic and exhibits growth in[...]

Raybees – Reaper, Take My Life For Free!

January 9, 2025

It’s a new year, and what better way to shed that holiday lethargy than with a blast of sonic mayhem? Buffalo’s own basement psych-rockers Raybees are here to deliver just that with their sophomore EP, Reaper, Take My Life For Free!, out January 3rd. This self-released, self-recorded, six-track onslaught picks up where their debut left off, but cranks the intensity and noise up by a good margin. If you’re a fan of the noisy, psychedelic punk rock of bands like Osees and The Jesus Lizard, then buckle up. Reaper, Take My Life For Free! is our album of the week.   Raybees is led by the core duo of Jacob Smolinski (guitar/vocals) and Dan Keegan (who replaced the drum machine of the project’s debut), along with featured players Matthew Danger Lippman (guitar), Kam Plotner (synth), and Brandon Schlia (bass). Something of a star-studded side project, Raybees showcases a completely different[...]

Chores – Tender As A Wound

December 19, 2024

The Rochester local music scene has had a damn good year. Rounding out our Album of the Week column for 2024 is Rochester trio Chores‘ debut album Tender As A Wound, which delivers a dose of ’90’s-inspired indie rock that’s both familiar and refreshingly off-kilter. The band, consisting of Ian Egling (vocals, bass, synth), Scar Markham (drums, vocals), and Jenn Wameling (guitar, vocals), skillfully blends their prowess for a sound that would be especially palatable to fans of Pixies, Miracle Legion, and Pavement. With that 90’s influence worn proudly on its proverbial sleeve, Tender As A Wound places a well-deserved exclamation point at the end of Rochester’s excellent 2024 run.   The album seems to be in conversation with its influences, sometimes echoing them affectionately (“Rocks In Your Pockets” in particular is steeped in a Malkmus-esque eccentricity), other times acknowledging them with a simple, friendly nod (“Tripwire” ditches the fuzz[...]

Matt Smith’s Nervous System – Today and Tomorrow Too

December 12, 2024

Matt Smith’s Nervous System, a Buffalo-based project led by scene veteran Matt Smith (guitar/vocals) alongside Roddy Potter (drums) and Colin Pratt (bass/vocals), returns with Today and Tomorrow Too, a six-track EP stealthily released on October 18th. Following two full-length LPs (Close Down The Dream in 2021 and The Age of Reasonable Expectations in 2023), this concise offering marks a shift in approach, focusing on atmosphere and texture. It feels like a compelling next step for a project that started as a mere outlet for Smith’s extraneous ideas. Today and Tomorrow Too is our Album of the Week.   The EP conjures the understated groovy cool of The Velvet Underground and serves it up with a simmering intensity not unlike the sounds of indie rock stalwarts The National. The result is an effort that strays a bit from the bluesy power-pop vibes of their debut in favor of a more introspective,[...]