Latest Posts

Rob Finlay – Sunset | Darkness | Sunrise

May 21, 2025

Whatever happened to the humble singer/songwriter?! Rob Finlay is here to prove that the artform isn’t dead with his latest EP, Sunset | Darkness | Sunrise (SDS). As with any good, acoustic-driven music, SDS is a well-orchestrated and emotional affair, finding Finlay wearing his heart on his sleeve more often than not. With a bevy of pro musicians in tow (including session musicians from Feeder, Rag’n’Bone Man, Beyoncé, and Keane), this collection of songs is dripping with emotion and a longing-but-hopeful disposition. Led by Finlay’s ever-pleasant voice, this EP was meant for those that grew up in the 90s, particularly the late ’90s, when Matchbox 20, Edwin McCain, and your favorite one-hit-wonder bands were ruling 1998-era pop radio.   For those looking for a quick one-two punch, we’d recommend starting with lead single “Afterglow.” An archetypal Finlay jam, “Afterglow” jangles along with a deep and touching emotion, letting his poetry[...]

The Sunmills – The Art of Burning Bridges

May 8, 2025

Seeing as how we’re located in the northeastern US, we don’t get a ton of opportunities to cover acts from Utah. Here’s hoping The Sunmills are our first of many – they’ve just released their debut album, The Art of Burning Bridges, an eight-song collection of riffy rock n roll that catalogues the messy roller coaster that is, well, love. Whether we’re talking ex-girlfriends, failed situationships, and self-deprecation, The Sunmills cover it with a wry smile and a healthy dose of sarcasm. You might leave a listening session of The Art of Burning Bridges wondering “… Are these guys ok?” At the same time, you’ll notice their songs have the same sunshine-y polish that you’d expect from ’90s luminaries like Third Eye Blind, Everclear, Fastball, or Semisonic… And it’s not like those guys weren’t singing about failed relationships to great success.   The album opens with “Take Me Away,” a blast of pop-punk energy[...]

little champion – Peaks Island and Other Places

May 8, 2025

It’s tempting to make a silly turn of phrase like “little champion… big sound” when discussing the new album from Asheville, NC-based singer/songwriter Dustin Goldklang (aka the aforementioned little champion)… But that would be a lie. The reality is that little champion specializes in intimate and loquacious slices of life – aurally painting what seem like oddly-specifically descriptions of oddly-specific places. Underneath the specificities of his writing lies a little pain – like that found in an awkward moment stuck in your head for eternity or, as LC puts it, “trying to laugh about things you’re not sure are funny.” That’s the vibe you can find throughout his latest album Peaks Island and Other Places – super intimate and a little awkward (in the most endearing possible way). at the end of a listen through this album, you really feel like you’ve grown up alongside Goldklang in the oddly-specific town of[...]

The Ram – I Am Nowhere, I Am Everywhere

April 30, 2025

The Ram, the affectionate nickname for singer/songwriter Mark O’Donnell, is an “American triptych” (I wish I came up with that, but those are his words, not mine). Living a refreshing Southern California lifestyle while remaining influenced by his northeastern roots (go Bills), his latest album, the Americana and surf inspired I Am Nowhere, I Am Everywhere (IANIAE) is an amalgamation of everything that has made The Ram’s long and winding life what it is. Full of rosy-colored reflections on family life and his beloved late father, IANIAE glides through your speakers with the ease of California living while not-so-subtly informed by his snowier roots.   A cursory observation of IANIAE will show that there are only a few songs that are less than five-minutes long. While there are no three-minute, hook-in-your-face, ruthlessly-catchy radio rock hits on this LP, you’ll soon realize that IANIAE is more of an artistic expression – a picture[...]

Mission to Sleep – A Spark or The End

April 30, 2025

Boston-based act Mission to Sleep have recently dropped their debut album, a seven-song collection of relentless and cinematic alt rock they’ve titled A Spark or The End. Across the EP you’ll hear downtuned guitars, impassioned vocals, and layers upon layers of textures. Fans of the nuanced side of nu-metal (think Deftones) will love what they hear here, as well as fans of heavier, mid-aughts emo-influenced acts like Thrice, Glassjaw, or The Receiving End of Sirens.   The album starts out strong with “No Anchor” – here, you’re immediately thrown into the maelstrom of Mission to Sleep’s sound. This band has found a way to weave intricate, metal-inspired instrumentals into catchy, pop-oriented melodies. They were smart to start here – there’s an immediate hook in the chorus: “Search mission is over!” It’s a juicy earworm, and a harbinger of what to expect as you meander through the rest of this album. Song[...]

PHWOAR – Flowers Through the Concrete

April 22, 2025

Birmingham-based duo PHWOAR come out swinging with a strong mission statement on their debut release, Flowers Through the Concrete. Full of full-fledged rock n roll vibes, you can expect big guitars; tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and spot-on takes on social commentary. Driven heavily by guitars and four-on-the-floor drum bombast, this duo of Paul (guitar/vocals) and Helena (drums/vocals) have crafted a full-throated sound that would sound perfect destroying your eardrums in your favorite dive bar.   The EP opens up with “Reckless” – a glammy and snotty introduction to this energy-packed duo. Buzzsaw guitars blast through your speakers with an impressive fervor, while drums slam along as the perfect accompaniment. There’s a retro quality to these tunes – nodding to 90s alt rock greats (think Spacehog or Garbage) while filtering in a bit more 2010s energy from acts like The Black Keys. Being reckless is what this kind of music is all about –[...]

SOZI – Bloom

April 13, 2025

As we enter a much-needed Buffalo summer, it’s time to refresh our playlists with new and exciting music that reverberates that infectious energy – we’d like to direct your attention to the latest from SOZI on her new, four-song EP, BLOOM. Full of airy and infectious alt pop, BLOOM “is all about stepping into a new season of growth and letting go of what’s been holding you back.” If you’ve been stuck indoors for the last six months like we have, this is the perfect way to break out of your shell and embrace the incoming springtime.   “Seconds” kicks off the album with a lighthearted-but-energetic opening. Quick percussion lays the backbone for SOZI’s lilting presence – coming fully into fruition in the super catchy chorus – “How do the seconds turn to minutes? I just can’t keep up.” SOZI continues the profound lyrical content with lines like “these are your best years,[...]

Victims of the New Math – Open Highway

April 13, 2025

Acting like a vessel for eras past, singer/songwriter Thomas Young has channeled his energies into alternative act Victims of the New Math. With a reverence for ’60s garage rock, ’90s alt rock sensibilities, and a love for Guided By Voices-esque production values, his latest offering is Open Highway, a nine-song collection of lo-fi tunes peppered with upbeat songwriting, big energies, and classic-sounding songs that go down real easy. The album tackles many themes, including: love, frustration, fear, and beauty (what else from a classics-inspired album?), and has rightfully been mastered by Todd Tobias – GBV’s producer and engineer. The result is a sunny-sounding album that respects DIY production roots while valuing good songwriting – a fun and laid-back listen that will appeal to fans of psych rock, indie rock, and the gone-too-soon 1990s.   “ORANGE AND PURPLE SKIES” is the album’s opener and for good reason – it’s one of the LP’s[...]

Safehouse – Collision Course

April 8, 2025

Safehouse is the songwriting vehicle for Dillon Vetere – a singer/songwriter from West Palm Beach. His latest offering is the twelve-song Collision Course, a punchy and raw nod toward early ’00s pop-punk brattiness. Gone are the atmospheric and ethereal indie vibes from his previous output – Collision Course course-corrects into simple but effective punk rock songwriting. Expect big power chords, straightforward attitude, and nursery-rhyme-melodies from Vetere – Blink 182 is the obvious comparison, but dig a little deeper and you’ll hear hints of nerdcore icon Atom and his Package and/or deeper cut acts like Allister or Fenix TX.   Vetere kicks things off with the surf-inspired “Mockingbird” – chunky, chorus-laden guitar chords stab out swimmy laces of notes overtop a rolling tom beat. The song is delightfully simplistic, letting its easily-digestible parts come together into a catchy and relatable whole. Vetere’s vocal melodies are the true appeal here, cribbing the aforementioned Delonge-method[...]

The Heligoats – Goodness Gracious

March 30, 2025

The Heligoats are commemorating the 15th anniversary of their album Goodness Gracious, and we’re here to let you know it’s worth celebrating. The work of a lone man and (mostly) his acoustic guitar, The Heligoats is the stage name of Chris Otepka – a vehicle that he uses to convey his jangly brand of indie/alternative/folk. Falling somewhere on the spectrum between Neutral Milk Hotel, Wilco, and Conor Oberst, Goodness Gracious is perfect for fans of aughts-era songwriting, singer/songwriter flavors, and powerful lyrics and story telling. Also, is it just me, or does 15 years ago feel like it should be 1995 and not 2010?   Like many musicians, Otepka’s criminally-underrated past bubbles beneath the heartfelt power of the songs found on Goodness Gracious. While the album literally kicks off with cricket noises, “A Guide to the Outdoors” is anything but a snoozefest. Otepka’s endearing vocal delivery channels Jeff Mangum with hints of[...]

Split From the Mind – Split From the Mind

March 23, 2025

Whatever happened to music that comes from a place of sincerity? That’s the question Buffalonian act Split From the Mind (SFTM) aims to answer on their debut, self-titled EP. Sometimes it’s best to hear from the artist themselves when it comes to the mission and mantra of their music – check out what project mastermind Stephen Wright (vocals, guitar) has to say:   “I haven’t quite been grabbed by an act in recent memory that gave me the feeling I was listening to something timeless… [I[ just wanted to make a piece of music that I felt explored a time and place in history. I have longed for music like this, and I genuinely believe this EP meets a moment. Not because it has the best vocals, guitar play or production, but because it has the flaws of a human heart and spirit.”   Needless to say, a listen through[...]

Blueburst – Kick My Tires Single/EP

March 17, 2025

Atlanta, Georgia act Blueburst just released an intriguing new EP, Kick My Tires Single/EP. Frontman and creative force of Blueburst, Craig Douglas Miller, has taken a fan favorite song, “Kick My Tires,” and split it into four unique, ear-catching takes. The result is the absolute spectrum of what it means to dive deeply into a song – the original; a powerful new mix; an instrumental; and a stripped-down take.   The original “Kick My Tires” is song two on the EP – acting as the album’s sonic foothold and rooting fans’ ears in Miller’s classic sound. Track one, however, is a new take on the mix by Ben Etter, placing a bigger emphasis on drummer Michael Jerome’s work and bringing out parts of the mix that were previously blending in. The instrumental take on “Kick My Tires” is a great listen as well, highlighting the wild, wall-of-sound instrumentals and angsty guitar[...]

CHAFT – 95

March 12, 2025

Music has healing properties. All clichés and platitudes aside, CHAFT‘s latest EP, the five-song 95, is evidence of this hypothesis – written and recorded during a life-changing medical diagnosis and subsequent surgery, songwriter Derek Miller channeled his raw anxiety into this powerful collection of songs. With themes of mortality, appreciation, and panic weaving their way across the music found here, CHAFT captures a vulnerable moment in time through a jangly, indie rock lens, sure to appeal to fans of Pavement, Pixies, and every jangly thing in-between.   Opener and title-track “95” is an excellent distillation of Miller’s sound – the wry delivery a la The Dismemberment Plan’s Travis Morrison; the punchy basslines of Kim Deal; and the lightly-psychedelic sound of late 90s pop rock make their way into this song. There’s a unique juxtaposition here between the generally upbeat-sounding music and the fact that these songs were conceived during a time[...]

De Moi – Drifting Intervals

March 5, 2025

De Moi, colloquially known as Czech musician and sound artist Vojtech Vesely, comes to us all the way from Prague with his latest offering, the twelve-song Drifting Intervals (DI). Less of an “album” (at least in the traditional sense) and more of an “experience,” DI is based around an innovative technique that Vesely developed himself – a constantly evolving and gradual fusing of several musical intervals into one, seamless, ambient texture. The result is something hypnotic, soothing, and pristine – and despite being technically a digitized work of art, feels like a welcome way to help you unplug from the world. Falling somewhere on the spectrum between ambient noise, new age, and drone music, Drifting Intervals feels like music that might heal the soul… Or at the very least, provide a lovely soundscape for which to fall asleep to.   De Moi’s approach to creating DI is fascinating to say the least. Vesely is[...]

Starbender – Social Engineering

March 5, 2025

Starbender is a Chicago-based rock band whose Social Engineering just came out – a ten-song collection of britrock and alternative songs that serve conceptually as a calling-to-arms to all. Starbender wants the common folks to work together to fight the corrupt system we’re all existing in. Sure, sometimes it feels like we’re all shouting into an empty void – but this quartet has funneled that rage into a surprisingly fun (and at times beautiful) LP that’s as powerfully-delivered as it is catchy.   Starbender start things off strong with song one and lead single, “Social Engineering.” Right from the get-go, it’s evident that a powerful ’90s alternative rock vein runs through their music – expect jangly, guitar-powered songs full of tasty riffs, chunky distortion, and super-high vocal harmonies. Falling somewhere on the spectrum between Oasis, Spacehog, and early Radiohead, “Social Engineering” makes use of all the hallmarks of that storied ’90s sound.[...]