Latest Posts

Black & White Cat / Black & White Cake – S/T

December 2, 2024

Throw on a leather jacket and mirror shades and let Buffalo deathrockers Black & White Cat / Black & White Cake be the soundtrack for your cemetery dance party with their debut self-titled album.   Inspired by the 1977 horror flick, The Sentinel, and formed six years ago by vocalist Dan Oh and guitarist John Toohill, this gothic five-piece delivers lo-fi melodic post-punk that’s cloaked in darkness and apathy. Rounding out the group and helping to bring their sound back from the dead are guitarist Dave Ward, bassist Paul Morin and synthesist Kelly Morduant.   Opening up this brooding collection of songs is the track “Useless” that encapsulates B&W Cat / B&W Cake’s macabre spirit. Oh’s cold, near-death vocals play perfectly against Toohill and Ward’s warm-blooded guitars; perfectly reflecting of the duality of life and death. It’s a great and catchy introduction to the band and their brand of punchy[...]

Welks Mice – BLUB BLUB

November 28, 2024

Six years, a pandemic, and a whole lot of life later, Buffalo’s Welks Mice have re-emerged with BLUB BLUB, an EP that trades some of the anxious energy of their 2018 debut for a sound that is softer around the edges, but no less genuine. This time around, songwriter Max Weiss and vibraphonist Andre Welks-Fabretti hone in on themes of optimism and openness, their delightfully economical indie-pop providing the perfect backdrop. It’s honest, it’s tender, and it’s our Album of the Week.   Welks Mice’s unique approach to minimalism is a refreshing breath of air in a local scene dominated by distorted guitars and crash cymbals. Welks-Fabretti’s charming vibraphone melodies make up the majority of arrangements, and Weiss’ unabashed ‘cards face-up’ lyrical delivery is disarming and accessible. The combination is distinct in style, blending the best elements of bedroom pop and anti-folk for a sound that would sit nicely next to[...]

Hundred Plus Club – “Get Away From Me Jack”

November 25, 2024

The Hundred Plus Boys are at it again. Fresh off a sweet streaming success in their previous single “Gobsmacked,” Buffalo’s post-punk outfit drops their follow-up “Get Away from Me Jack.” HPC’s has featured bright guitars and earworm hooks taking influence from the great acts of 2000s indie rock, but lately things have gotten darker. “Gobsmacked” started down a gothy-er path that’s continued with the rollout of “Get Away from Me Jack.”   On this single, frontman Zain Shirazi’s baritone vocals hide within a heavy bottom half featuring some pounding bass guitar and a drum section that flips between understated live playing and New Order in-your-face “Blue Monday”-styled drum machine, continuing the band’s experimentation with percussive elements. Shirazi’s brooding vocals menacing backing voices compound the feeling of being under a sinister spell, as Zain tries to resist:   “You want people to come to your show … / But I don’t[...]

Elemantra – “The Problem”

November 18, 2024

Perpetually-whirring Buffalo shoegazers Elemantra are back with a fresh new single, “The Problem.” Their impeccable pedalboard curation is on full display here, ranging everywhere from ghostly clean guitars to monstrous blasts of fuzz. Elemantra’s patented brand of all-consuming ambiance is on full display here, lush with nimble basslines, tight drumming, and those far-off vocals that make your favorite ‘gazers sound so mysterious – think Slowdive or MBV. Fans of all waves of emo, anywhere from Appleseed Cast to Citizen, will also enjoy “The Problem,” for its excellent execution of somber emotions and quiet/loud dynamics.   You can find “The Problem” via Bandcamp below, or, stream it via your preferred listening service – Spotify or Apple Music. The Problem (single) by elemantra

Bat Ring – A Spectre Prepares

November 11, 2024

Brianna Battista, frequent Little Cake collaborator and former Skirts co-lead, has released her debut album under new solo-project Bat Ring. With production by Bran Schlia (Steak & Cake Records), A Spectre Prepares introduces a beautifully creative sound into the world of experimental post-rock. In addition to the haunting vocals by Battista, this album utilizes synths and distortion in a truly unique way.    The five tracks are inspired by a series of painful experiences Battista summated in a personal essay regarding the album. After a poor-fit college program, her creativity was stunted by an inability to express herself the way that she wanted. As Battista continued to experience a power imbalance between herself and her classmates, she began to question her reasons for creating. She writes, “My goal was directly tied to everything these men in my acting program thought of me, and said about me, and said TO me,[...]

We Were Blank – “Summer Bones”

November 8, 2024

Local pop-punk/emo quartet, We Were Blank, are back with a one-off single “Summer Bones.” The new track hits a bit more on the punk realm than the band’s usual catalog, with comparisons to heavier pop-punk acts like Microwave and PUP. Lyrics-wise, this track is about the pains of getting older and feeling listless. There is a yearning to go back to the times of having summer bones, which is a younger, fresher, and ultimately more exciting time than having these aging autumn bones. Check out the band’s resume on Spotify and keep a look out for We Were Blank, because they are always gigging around the city.

Wylie Something – Picnic

November 4, 2024

Buffalo local, Wylie Something, the songwriting vehicle for musician Jacob Smolinksi, is inviting you to a BBQ of freshly grilled tunes for the soul, with an all new record titled Picnic.   For an appetizer, we’re served our first track “Feel Like Jake.” For listeners looking for a classic taste, they may find that the jam-band like vibes of this song call back to the sounds of The Grateful Dead or the bluesy swing of Bob Dylan, while more modern-day listeners might enjoy the heavy indie-psych influence. “Jake” listens like a blue sky with whisky clouds on a slow day, where the smiles are warm and drinks are iced cold. This feeling is captured perfectly in the slow swaying guitar strums, the woozy bongo blips, and Jake’s soulful baritone belting – feeling like a hazy meditation without a care in the world.   This feeling continues into track two, “Stuck[...]

Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible

October 31, 2024

Jordan Buckley is verified Buffalo royalty… And Steve Micciche… AND Goose (aka Clayton Holyoak). Together, with vocalist Greg Puciato and guitarist Will Putney, they’re Better Lovers – a certified supergroup, most notably (for us Buffalonians), one that rose from the ashes of legendary hardcore act Every Time I Die, who ruled Buffalo hardcore with an iron fist for 20+ years. With Puciato hailing from Dillinger Escape Plan and Putney coming from Fit for an Autopsy, the band’s experience and pedigree speak for themselves. After rave reviews for debut single “30 under 13” and follow-up EP, God Made Me An Animal, as well as a bevy of sold out tour dates, they’ve finally buckled (semi-pun intended) down to write and release their debut full length. They’ve titled it Highly Irresponsible, and it’s full of brutal hardcore, a strong sense of melody, and that “still partying at 4am” energy that we’ve come[...]

Sleep Debt Ceiling – Demo EP

October 28, 2024

Buffalo-based project Sleep Debt Ceiling has released their debut, Demo EP. The four song folk punk album, written and performed by James Stephenson, dives into the harsh realities of mental illness, drugs, and imposter syndrome. The status of band membership is unconfirmed as SDC claimed via Instagram, “This is maybe a solo project. It might be a band. No one is entirely sure of this.” The demo was written in April and recorded in May of 2024, as a result of Stephenson’s self-isolation. Through a perfect mix of raw acoustics, thought-provoking lyrics, and grungy vocals (see the spiraling chorus of “Self-Obsessed and Miserable” or sporadic bridge of “Guarantee”), Sleep Debt Ceiling is “guaranteed to make strangers ask if you’ve talked to anyone lately.”    Inspired by Stephenson’s upbringing, “Narcan Supernova” opens up the demo on a rough but poignant note. The track depicts the hardships of watching someone struggle with[...]

Pilot-Field – Songs From South Buffalo

October 14, 2024

There’s no shortage of great punk rock bands in Buffalo – Pilot-Field joined that canon earlier this year (and also last year) and has continued to create fun and excitable nuggets of pop-punk with intent. The band of two McCormicks and two Brennans has just released a two-song EP, Songs From South Buffalo, continuing a trend of simple-but-effective punk rock songwriting that focuses heavily on big melodies set to fast tempos. The album kicks off with “Sweet Home,” an ostensible double-meaning title that references both the very-shoutable chorus refrain and a Buffalo-adjacent locale… And while Sweet Home (the locale) is more of a North Buffalo haunt (I digress). “Home sweet home, home sweet home, far from you’s where we belong” The track is all about being content with your circle. It suits the blasting drums and full-throated guitar of “Sweet Home” perfectly. They continue this same energy on song two, “I[...]

Matches Laces – Matches Laces EP

October 10, 2024

Chronologically speaking, Matches Laces may be a name that’s new to your ears, but a deeper dive will tell you it’s actually the moniker of a Buffalo music scene stalwart. Mike Santillo has been kicking around town for more than a decade as 1/3 of beloved Buffalo-based indie rockers The Tins. Santillo’s desire to combine organic and synthetic sounds has resulted in a batch of eight new songs, affectionately self-titled the Matches Laces EP. Soothing, vintage-sounding synths fill every space on this release – expect lots of rigid arpeggiation and mechanical drum machine percussion being combined into something surprisingly warm and human-sounding. Matches Laces first strikes a flame with album opener “Didn’t You Lie To Me?” With its pleasing ascending chord progression and Santillo’s falsetto vocals, fans of MGMT, Passion Pit, and Tame Impala will find themselves smitten. Throughout the song, arpeggiated synths twinkle brightly over a simple-but-effective bassline while puffs[...]

Roger Bryan and The Orphans – Days Or Nights​/​That​’​s Life!

September 25, 2024

It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Buffalo-based act Roger Bryan and the Orphans “elder statesmen” – for the last 16+ years, Bryan & co. have been crafting ragged, heartstring-healing Americana. Their latest album, Days Or Nights/That’s Life! (DONTL), is a 10-song continuation of their ever-growing catalogue. Expect songs that sound rusty (in a Rust Belt sort of way), soaked with harmonica, vintage organ tones, and crispy Telecaster-esque crunch that you might expect from someplace where the music tends to be a little more twangy. DONTL kicks off with the rambling “Remind Me,” which immediately highlights the aforementioned instrumental suite that makes Bryan’s compositions so heartwarming. Screaming harmonica soars overtop an open chord jangle, falling into a pocket of alt-country emotion that feels hopeful, lovelorn, and lightly restless. Bryan’s hushed but impassioned vocals are an obvious pull here, and while this is certainly more Wilco-coded than late-90s pop rock, I do[...]

Hundred Plus Club – “4/19 (Demo)”

September 9, 2024

Hundred Plus Club recently released a freshened version of their first song ever (!), affectionately titled “4/19 (Demo).” Ostensibly a working title or the file’s original name, the group used a ten-year-old idea of the first music they ever wrote that could be considered a fully fleshed-out tune. The trio kept the original recording of the drum track, a tight, jazzy snare-forward beat from drummer Burak Spoth, while adding mysterious lyrics and spindly guitar from singer/guitarist Zain Shirazi. There’s something special about demos recorded in a “tin can basement,” and it’s a fun little development that HPC had the wherewithal to polish this into a proper release. We’ve embedded a Spotify player below for convenience, but be sure to check out all the different ways to support HPC via this helpful Linktree link.

Rodagues – Made Men

June 19, 2024

Buffalo alternative hip hop trio, Rodagues create an experimental yet catchy modern rap sound. Their fizzing sonic concoction fuses many different strains of hip hop, whether that be old school boom bap, houston’s chopped and screwed sound, southern trap, as well as a plethora of related subgenres.  The group’s three man weave of artists is composed of WizzleDaWzRd, puh-GEEZ, and Be_Daylight. To get to know an individual member’s catalog, check out our review for puh-GEEZ’s project LEVELS. Rodagues’ latest release “Made Men” is a collaboration between WizzleDaWzRd and Be_Daylight. The beat, crafted by Wizzle, combines a vaporwave-like, cloud rap aesthetic with a smooth-as-butter west coast bounce. He said of the track:  “I guess for the hook part the inspiration was the Jermaine Dupri and Jay Z song, ‘Money Ain’t a Thang.’ I always say I’m the modern version [of] JD with how my beats [are] sounding.” Wizzle’s gravely voice floats[...]

Nolo the Slayer – Bottega

June 10, 2024

There’s a funny story behind the way Buffalo rapper, Nolo the Slayer got his name. Early on in his music career, while he was going under the name Nolo, he randomly decided to change his Instagram handle to “@nolotheslayer.” On his first official feature, the artist who he had worked with saw his Instagram, assumed that was his artist name and released the feature as just that, “Nolo the Slayer.” At first Nolo was a bit upset about the situation, as it wasn’t his chosen name, but before he knew it, the moniker had already stuck with those around him. He ended up continuting to use it and the word “Slayer” has even become a common adlib for him.  The addition of “The Slayer” gives the name and interesting and unique edge, sounding like the title of some ancient exalted medieval knight. Furthermore, after he’s released and promoted 2023 projects like I[...]