Latest Posts

Naomi Kavka – “Landline”

April 16, 2024

From British Columbia on the Canadian west coast, Naomi Kavka brings us her latest single “Landline.” Coming off her latest album, Then and Now, this is a delightful track but a difficult one to pigeonhole! It has an indie folk feel but veers into some light shoegaze (and damn does it have a catchy beat – you can really feel the *thump* of that bass). The guitar that comes in approximately every thirty seconds is that perfect amount of wailing that itches scratches in your ear you didn’t know you had. Kavka’s voice is warm and effortlessly breaks through the instrumentals and really resonates throughout the track. Fans of Big Thief or Sufjan Stevens would find a lot to enjoy here – not only with “Landline” but with the rest of the album as it covers a lot of ground. You can hear “Landline” and the rest of Then and Now over on[...]

Sculpture Club – “Drive Too Fast”

April 14, 2024

Dallas based band (formerly Salt Lake City) Sculpture Club brings us their latest with new single “Drive Too Fast.”  Released April 4th, this is a well-balanced post-punk gem – paying homage to bands like the Cure, Soft Kill, and Choir Boy but standing apart enough to have created something unique. The acoustic guitar drives the song forward, having an almost folksy Connor Oberst feel to it. I was impressed with the mournful-yet-happy sounding vocals and how this could either be a road trip or funeral song. This took me down an interesting rabbit hole because until now, I’d never really thought about the intersection of post-punk and folk music, but here we are. I guess anything after “punk” is technically post punk, right? You can hear “Drive Too Fast” on Spotify, Apple Music or embedded down below. The other two tracks on the single, “Cursed or Hexed” and “Used To”[...]

Clitter Critters – “Sex Magic”

April 14, 2024

Mississippi based fem punk band Clitter Critters (lol) brings us their latest with “Sex Magic.” Composed of former Buffalonian Lacy Ellinwood (of Kicking fame, see our coverage of them here), Sarah Grace, and Austin Tingle (who was allegedly duped into playing drums). Starting with a snazzy guitar intro, you’re immediately smacked in the face with “I’m not here to love you/ I’m just here to fuck you” and the tone is set. Unless you missed the first paragraph and the band’s name this shouldn’t be at all surprising. CC doesn’t let up and continues to pound away at your ear drums with some impressive bass licks and rollickin’ geetar. Fans of Sleater Kinney, Sonic Youth, and haters of incels will find a lot to enjoy here. If you’ve gotten this far and you haven’t checked out the track yet, give it a roll down below. You can also find it[...]

Retail Drugs – “Take It Back”

April 14, 2024

The latest project from Brooklyn based Jake Brooks is Retail Drugs, and “Take It Back” is their latest (and first). We’ve covered Brooks before with his other project, Laveda (here), and while the direction is a little different, the results are still bangin’. Whereas Laveda’s “Surprise” was an upbeat take on dealing with loneliness, “Take It Back” is a lightly fuzzed and distorted shoegaze romp with Brooks’ voice clashing wonderfully with the cacophony of sound. Fans of My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive would find a lot to enjoy with this track, especially with shoegaze going through somewhat of a resurgence. You can hear “Take It Back” on Spotify or down below from Soundcloud. Keep your eyes peeled for more singles, as the full album i love you so ! is out August 2.            

+/- {Plus/Minus} – “Borrowed Time”

April 10, 2024

+/- {Plus/Minus} is a band that, until a short while ago, I had never heard of. Together in some way shape or form for the past 20+ (or minus, hehe) years, they’ve apparently been putting out bangers which now includes their latest, “Borrowed Time”. “Borrowed Time” is… a lot. I needed a few listens to truly comprehend what I was listening to; the funky time signatures, angular rhythms, and synth/guitar fusion really made for an interesting experience. Made up of childhood friends, the way they combine forces is quite incredible and you can tell they’ve been playing together for some time. Fans of crisp indie rock like Foals or freak folk structures a la Animal Collective would find a lot to enjoy here with their unique take on….well, everything. It’s truly an experience that you’re doing yourself a disservice by not being apart of. You can hear “Borrowed Time” over[...]

Bantams – “Sucralose”

April 10, 2024

Combining two things that I used to be into and occasionally find myself going back to, fake sugar and wrestling, is not something I thought I’d be writing about in 2024 but here we are. Bantams‘ latest is “Sucralose” (faux sugar) off of their Turn Heel (wrestling term) album. Formed by Chris Rathke from Penn’s Woods (Pennsylvania for those of you who are too lazy to google), this at least seems to be a trio (James Hoag and Mike Vermeil have song credits in addition to Rathke). This is a sub three minute gem of an indietronica at it’s finest; synth, drum machines, funky sounding bass. Rathke’s vocals punctuate throughout (giving some James Murphy vibes) while providing the sort of mouthfeel you’re used to from bands like Squeeze, Bleachers, or even Modern Baseball. You can hear “Sucralose” on Spotify, or check it out below courtesy of YouTube.

Holding Hour – “Parallel Lines”

April 9, 2024

Holding Hour, the duo formerly known as Elison, is based out of Des Moines, Iowa and “Parallel Lines” is their latest. We’ve previously covered the band as Elison here at the Blog and we’re happy to report that we still enjoy what we’re hearing!  Made up of Marissa Kephart on guitar and vocals and Scott Yoshimura as producer and jack of all trades, Holding Hour finds that perfect balance betwixt shoegaze and dream pop… That can be difficult, but Holding Hour understood the assignment here. Warm guitars layered together produce a lovely sound that compliments Kephart’s vocals perfectly – ya know, that whole shoegazy thing where it all blends together. Speaking to the track, Kephart had this to say: “Parallel Lines’ is about the push and pull of relationships, the tension between two people who are close but over time slowly grow distant.” You can hear “Parallel Lines” on the[...]

Memorial – “Silver”

April 7, 2024

UK-based duo Memorial specialize in heartfelt indie folk songs like their latest single, “Silver.” A stunning showcase of the band’s ear for melody; beautiful harmonies; and a tried-and-true acoustic guitar backbone, “Silver” is beautiful and somber without ever dipping into true ennui territory. Fans of Pinegrove, Elliot Smith, and Big Thief will find lots to dig into here. About the song, Memorial says: “Silver is about betrayal within friendships. This centres around how some friendships, particularly working relationships, feel so important that there can be a heavy focus on protecting it, which can lead to isolation. Being within that involves sacrifice in other important aspects of life such as romantic relationships, pastimes and opinions.” ICYMI – here’s our writeup from a previous Memorial single, “Corduroy” Check out “Silver” below via the Spotify embed, or, check out other listening options via this Linktree link..

LB Beistad – “Dogma”

April 7, 2024

LB Beistad makes religious trauma sound stunning on the alt-pop of her latest single, “Dogma.” Having grown up in rural Tennessee, Beistad’s childhood was rather isolated. She discovered a world of beautiful music when her family purchased a computer at age 10 – the rest is history. With gauzy synths; chuggy guitar and bass; and Beistad’s soulful delivery, “Dogma” reckons with the stifling box that religion can often stuff us in… LB is thankful for the proverbial doors that computer opened, and now, so are we! You can find “Dogma” on Soundcloud (below), or, listen via Spotify. LB Beistad · Dogma_Mastered_unreleased.wav

Taxidermy – “Rot”

April 7, 2024

Copenhagen’s Taxidermy describe their new song, “Rot,” as “marked by an unrest, a journey through doubt.” Sometimes, a band just knows themselves best, and in the case of this unique act, they’ve described it perfectly. “Rot” is dark, post-punk at its finest, channeling Pile, Unwound, and Sonic Youth with its guitar-driven neuroses that threatens to dip into dissonance but always remain palatable. The song ultimately explodes into a distorted energy, a lovely juxtaposition against “Rot’s” icy and calculated intro. Check out the video for “Rot” below, or, check out this link for all the different streaming options.

Pilot Field – Counterfeits

April 5, 2024

Pilot Field, Buffalo’s resident 90’s to 2000’s nostalgia pop-punkers, are back with their latest release, Counterfeits. For more information on the band check out our last review of their 2023 demo. In summary, a typical Pilot Field song is fast, loud, and catchy. The intro “Heart Attack” is just that. Clocking in under a minute and a half, it builds quickly into a hard-hitting yet melodic piece of rapid, juiced-up pop-punk. Lead singer, Dan McCormick’s catchy yet combative hollering in the verses is balanced out by candied singalong choruses. It strikes the right balance making for some meticulously good pop punk. “Don’t Need” is heavier and comes on strong with a relentless drum beat and speedy riffage. Even in more aggressive moments like this, McCormick, also in the Buffalo hardcore band SPACED, has that thing about him where every line sounds like a never-ending, effervescent hook. The song refers to the[...]

frog team – “KAMIKAZE!!”

April 3, 2024

There are rare occasions where buffaBLOG’s words are just… less effective than an artist’s own description of themselves. This is one of those times: “Frog Team is The Front Bottoms meets The Fall of Troy meets Family Guy, and that’s supposed to be an insult.” The absolutely blistering, buzzsaw emo of “KAMIKAZE!!” caught us off guard with its unbelievable blast of energy. Gravelly vocals and a breakneck runtime keep you on your toes throughout the entire listen. Inspired by everything from The Hotelier to My Hero Academia, this Denver trio isn’t afraid to do whatever the F*#& they want. In fact, if a math rock band was tasked to write an anime intro, let’s just say frog team would be the perfect act for the job. You can enjoy “KAMIKAZE!!” on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube (embedded below).

maxime. – “Quitting Time”

April 3, 2024

buffaBLOG mainstay maxime. is back with yet another slice of bedroom-pop wizardry, this time in the form of “Quitting Time.” ICYMI, we’re maxime. stans here at the blog (see here, here, and here for proof), and “Quitting Time” is yet another gem that he’s slotted into his growing catalogue of greatness. Fuzzed-out woofy bass tones, curious keyboard blips, and maxime.’s half-slurred vocals give this a mysterious feel, full of vague warnings to give up on what we can only assume is some semblance of a relationship. It’s nebulous and cool and we think you’re going to like it too. You can find “Quitting Time” on Soundcloud (below) and Spotify. maxime. · quitting time

RAINSONG – “Coma Baby”

April 3, 2024

London based RAINSONG brings us their latest with “Coma Baby.” Chock full of effects for that reliable shoegaze tone, RAINSONG plays around with faraway/breathless sounding lyrics with a touch of the melancholia. This honestly sounds how I think a new Goo Goo Dolls could sound if they made an album with My Bloody Valentine for some random reason. That isn’t to say this sounds like it’s pulled from the 90’s, far from it: everything sounds fresh and new, even if there’s a strong Cure influence here. There was a tone or two that put that idea in my head, along with the lead singer’s voice sounding vaguely reminiscent of the Goos’ John Rzeznik. The track ends on a long fadeout with all of the instruments intermingling, like what some bands do when they go off stage before an encore. You can hear “Coma Baby” on Spotify, or wherever else you[...]

Makeout City – “Everytime”

April 3, 2024

Philly based Makeout City brings us their latest single, “Everytime,” and it’s a poppy shoegazy banger. The band refers to themselves as “Mid-Atlantic Dreamgaze” – upbeat guitars and tight drums drive the song forward, while some synth is thrown in for additional flavor. Everything meshes together well into a shoegaze/dreampop concoction, starting slow and picking up tempo as the track progresses. It’s upbeat and twee, but with some deeper underpinnings, as the band discusses below: “‘Everytime’ is an introspective track about trying to understand your own thoughts and emotions when navigating life’s uncertainties. We often find a sense of comfort in nostalgia and express that in a lot of our writing. The line ‘drive me back to where I want to be’ touches on wanting to escape the anxieties of adult life and return to a simpler and more carefree time.” Fans of Alvvays, Far Caspian, or Beach House would[...]