Latest Posts

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[...]

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,[...]

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,[...]

Neetchy Band – NO POZER

January 31, 2023

Throughout history, art often strikes a delicate balance between humor and depth. We’ve all got that one friend, always authentically themselves, goofy one second, and deep as hell the next. While listening to Neetchy, a sneering chuckle could easily turn sentimental. With no effort to fit in, the boundary-pushing artist has been doing it his way since 2015 with projects like Cotton Candy Mountains, Songs For, and About You, and Jerry, amongst others (see our previous features on both The Old Me and Y’all Need a Drink). Throughout this time, Neetchy has developed a cartoonish pop rap finesse, emphasizing sticky melodies, did-he-just-say-that lyrics, and his own enigmatic character. Unafraid to try new things, the fringe artist’s early discography draws upon cloud rap, southern hip hop, R&B, and dance-pop along with a host of related sounds. After a few years worth of hip hop releases, an alien-autotune-country sound burgeoned within Neetchy’s[...]

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[...]

B-rent – Everything For Paige

May 25, 2022

Somewhere in the up & coming hip/hop scene in Buffalo, a voice can be heard with sounds of sincerity; the voice comes from B-rent on his debut LP: Everything for Paige. The album resembles something like a modern day Shakespeare tragedy reflecting the beauty in despair. He shows his fans what rock bottom has taught him before he reaches the mountain top he’s climbing. The fuel to the flame of “Everything For Paige” was unmistakably gifted from his late sister, Paige Casillo. Tracks like “This Broke” resemble how hollow a heart that was once full still beats with as much purpose as the percussion in his music. While tracks like “Exposed” demonstrate how to run through problems (or brick walls)  head-on. The theme of the eleven track LP burns the brightest on track 10, “WITH ME, WITH YOU,” as B-rent belts out lines like “freestyle flows ain’t no need for[...]

Hussalonia – The Somewhat Surprising Re-Recording of Marsupial Garamond Hussalonia

May 18, 2022

Legend says in the year of 1997, a pop music cult was born via the Nefarico soap company and named Hussalonia. A quarter century later, Hussalonia has given us The Somewhat Surprising Re-Recording of Marsupial Garamond Hussalonia… A project that was dropped about sixteen years ago re-recorded, mixed, and mastered to the complete satisfaction of not only Nefarico & Hussalonia; but their fanbase as well. For those unfamiliar with Hussalonia, the riveting backstory and completely immersive worldbuilding are a part of the charm. In addition to their uniquely-told origins coming from a dystopian (or, surprisingly and unsettlingly current) world, their music is incredibly pristine and well-written. A truly all-around experience from this one-of-a-kind Buffalo-based artist. The album starts with the riveting “Time and Place,” in which Hussalonia bellows for the one he once loved. Conceptually continuing the tale throughout the entirety of the rest of The Somewhat Surprising Re-Recording of[...]

Conway the Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes

May 2, 2022

The spirit of Buffalo is a very real concept that only true Buffalonians could understand; a sense of community, validity, and authenticity. The legendary rap group Griselda managed to spread the spirit of Buffalo on an international level – one third of this hip-hop superpower, Conway the Machine, recently dropped what is easily his best work to date, an LP entitled God Don’t Make Mistakes. Conway’s cutthroat delivery intersects the eloquent piano keys laid over his beats with pinpoint perpendicularity. Listening to God Don’t Make Mistakes takes you into a hip hop classroom and Conway the Machine is the coolest teacher you’ve ever had. The diversity of emotion Conway has the power to convey is infinite, especially when comparing the vulnerable “Stressed” to the triumphant “So Much More.” When he says “Don’t let em’ put me in no box, I’m so much more,” it hits hard. It’s a very surreal experience[...]

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[...]

Funeral Coat – Is That So?

April 13, 2022

Call it alternative, punk, emo, or whatever else you want, but call it correct; Funeral Coat’s debut LP, Is That So, is fire. The gas to that fire might come from professional production from the prominent Jay Zubricky at GCR Audio; but that’s just the tip of the Iceberg. Funeral Coat built up anticipation with a year of singles when they first formed back in 2020, then delivered Is That So? On July 3rd of 2021. Nearly a year has passed and we’re still spinning it – clearly, it has aged with grace. Album opener “Sorry” is the archetypal Funeral Coat song – their songs clearly have a punk edge, but never stray too far into bouncy, light-hearted territory. “Sorry” demonstrates this perfectly, highlighting a beautiful harmonic guitar lead layered thick with effect pedals. The vocals are similarly effected – masking the emotive delivery with a layer of shredded-speaker distortion.[...]

Coral Collapse – “Symmetries”

April 5, 2022

Rolling in like a fog over the surface of a lake, Symmetries by Buffalonian band Coral Collapse came at the perfect timing. Just as the world begins to open up again, Symmetries oozes the sweet sensation of a new day; not only does it sound like a new morning, but a fresh start with the people you love. Coral Collapse originally banded together in 2015 and have been going strong ever since. They’ve dropped three singles, an EP, and an LP outside of Symmetries… This one is different though. I’m not going to lie, after hearing Symmetries in its entirety, while their other releases served as a great foundation of roots for Coral Collapse, it’s evident that we’re witnessing their “blooming” as a band. They’ve blossomed into a force of dream pop to be reckoned with. The intro track and lead single, “Graves,” features an incredibly wholesome music video shot[...]

Canetis – Chasing Moonlight

March 28, 2022

Like the first leaves gliding through the wind in fall, the first winter snow, and that first 80 degree week in summer, Canetis is back and it’s the season of Chasing Moonlight.  The five Buffalo head bangers hardly touch the ground on their latest five piece EP. Just short of twenty minutes, Chasing Moonlight is a perfect album for the scenic route to wherever you’re going. However, each song definitely has a time and a place it’d be fully understood. Like “Daydreamer,” which would hit the hardest on that ride home from the function where you held back what you really wanted to say or do. The following track “Whenever” brings me to a blissful field of comfort in misfortunes. The first words of the opening track “Reconsider,” “Chasing Moonlight, lost since 94,” really help describe what that represented in the eyes of Canetis; or at least the fact that[...]

Everything In Waves – Fading Out

March 7, 2022

Buffalo-based one-man-band Everything In Waves is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to gorgeous sounds. The latest installation in his discography, Fading Out, takes listeners on a self-reflective journey. The vocals and lyrics are the vehicle of this five-song EP, consisting of stacked melodies with a driving force that feels like it takes you around the world five times and back… What I’m trying to say is, Everything In Waves, aka Anthony DelPlato, was born with pipes. Each song on Fading Out has its own distinctive concept that carries out an overall theme of hopelessness in hope itself. In Anthony’s own words: “The title track, ‘Fading Out’, closes the loosely chronological sequence and narrates the end of this disastrous connection. The suffering, the pain, the misery, it all finally started to fade away. This is not a happy album, but one that I think we can all associate with. It gives[...]

Johnny & The Man Kids – Home, Wherever That May Be

February 21, 2022

With only one track out of seven to be over three minutes, Home, Wherever That May Be (HWTMB) is very friendly to the masses. The songs are like perfect little cupcakes, baked fresh by Johnny & the Man Kids, that can be enjoyed by whoever, wherever, and whenever. In the Buffalo-based garage band’s words: “This album focuses on the central theme of meaningful change through self-reflection and a shifting perspective. It’s about finding a reason to laugh even if you don’t want to.” Johnny & the Man Kids provide a smorgasbord of vibes – there’s a bit of bedroom-pop and a hearty helping of early-aughts garage rock with one constant factor, psychedelia. The tasty licks from the guitar and the squiggly synth textures will take you on a hazy trip, all in your bedroom. You’ll find your walls breathing in and out like an accordion. Lights from within and a[...]

Worse Things – Shallow Faith

February 15, 2022

When the clock struck midnight on December 17th, the world got a lot colder, darker, and bleak; but to post-hardcore band Worse Things, that was music to their ears. Their newest and bluest offering is a seven-song album of forlorn emo, post-hardcore, and grunge that they’ve titled Shallow Faith. With transitions that tether the songs together throughout the entirety of the project, it’s the perfect album to play from front to back, a rarity in today’s world of single releases and short attention spans. Members of Worse Things include: Zach, Anthony, Matt, and Rob, all based out of Buffalo/Fredonia NY. Their specific sound is reminiscent of both the early 2000s and the emo revival of the 2010s but never loses a 2022 edge… Something similar to jumping into a pool of sweet deja vu, Worse Things create a grungy space isolated from all else. Fans of Balance and Composure, Citizen,[...]