Latest Posts

Rosetta West – Labyrinth

May 2, 2024

Illinois blues-psych band Rosetta West originated in the 1990s and has spent the last three(!) decades building up a respectable fanbase around the world. With a bevy of independent releases under their belt, they’ve returned with Labyrinth, a fourteen(!) song magnum opus that blends elements of rock, blues, and psychedelia into the type of band you’d find playing in a sweaty dive bar at 2am. Certainly informed by the decade in which they formed, Rosetta West has unmistakably channeled their thirty years of experience into Labyrinth, sludging and slamming through these songs with a simmering fury and a touch of nirvana (pun partially intended). Album opener, “Red Rose Mary Bones,” is a perfect introduction to the album – its muddy bass backbone twisting and turning underneath lava-lamp guitar lines. Lyrics like “resurrecting my blood, images twisting through my mind, and in a blurry vision I can see every hidden side” embody the music[...]

Surtsey – Nothing Doing

April 27, 2024

Surtsey is a quartet from the US Midwest that’s been kicking around since the late aughts. They’ve just released their latest EP, the five-song Nothing Doing – recorded in St. Louis MO, their songwriting was strongly informed by their attendance at the School of Song, specifically under the instruction of Buck Meek (of both Big Thief and solo fame). The result is an interesting and beautiful collection of songs, rooted in country and folk sounds but with indie rock experimentation, thoughtful lyrical cadences, and sweet melodies peppered throughout. Opening song, “Stick” is a confident declaration of where Surtsey is as a songwriting unit. Right away, they hit you with the phrase “Buffalo nickel,” settling the scene with distinctly Midwestern imagery and honing in the vibes with a sense of vague, history-inspired nostalgia. They double down with a sighing steel guitar lead, woven seamlessly into the song like a ghostly presence.[...]

The Ballroom Thieves – Sundust

April 25, 2024

Maine-based duo The Ballroom Thieves are fresh off the release of their latest LP, the stunning and aptly-named Sundust. Composed of Callie Peters and Martin Earley, the two have crafted a deeply personal album full of gentle folk with a specialization in dazzling harmonies that circle around a central theme – “What if we were all just a little more tender?” In a world that is often unforgiving, cold, and ugly, Sundust stands as a bastion of human kindness – a heartwarming batch of ten songs that dares to look at the potential beauty buried deep inside of us all. To create Sundust, Martin Earley and Callie Peters, the two masterminds behind The Ballroom Thieves, holed up in their home studio somewhere in the boondocks of Maine. They challenged themselves with a conscientious decision to record outside of a typical studio – the result is an incredibly intimate collection of sounds,[...]

Little Lies – “Crazy”

April 20, 2024

Swedish act Little Lies combine shiny disco with a bit of The Cramps-esque psychobilly influence on their latest offering, “Crazy.” With a bubbling bass rhythm, sparkly keyboard features, and a lovely vocal feature, “Crazy” juxtaposes icy feelings with warm, inviting synthpop vibes. A unique lyrical pattern provides one of the biggest highlights here, rhyming words in a spitfire delivery that sounds intriguing and vague all at once. About the song, the duo says (cryptically, I might add): “When wanting something or someone, we often paint a picture inside our mind how wonderful it will be once having it. This song is about realizing that this time, it will not happen.” Check out “Crazy” via the YouTube embed below, or, visit their Spotify page.

Red’s Motel – Chapters End

April 17, 2024

Red’s Motel has spent the better part of the last year brewing up their debut album, Chapters End. The band, led by the enigmatic Red Hawes, is a three-piece indie/alternative rock act based in Maryland who have been making plenty of waves in their local scene, including some stints at Ram’s Head and Merriweather Post Pavilion. Their hard work and grinding has paid off; Chapters End is a stunning offering of riff-driven alternative rock with an emphasis on interesting compositions, nimble fingerwork, and endearing melody. The album opens with the epic and cinematic instrumental “The Curse I Bear.” Here, the band flexes some post-rock muscle, pairing ethereal guitar work, moaning swells, and chunky blasts of distortion to set the mood for the entire album. It acts as a wonderful crescendo, slowly building into something more and more epic before blending seamlessly into song two, “Amber Ashes.” On “Ashes”, the band truly[...]

Davis Gestiehr – I’m Always Lying… Make Me Famous

April 14, 2024

Twenty-three year old Davis Gestiehr is spring-loaded with youthful energy, evident on his latest release, I’m Always Lying… Make Me Famous (IALMMF). The four song EP finds the wunderkind exploring various sounds reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys, The Replacements, and The Black Keys. IALMMF blasts into your eardrums with the one-two punch of opener “CCTV.” Here we start hearing the hallmarks of Gestiehr’s sound – a jittery bass riff pounds out a jaunty rhythm while guitars chime out in frenzied unison. Drums sounded like they were recorded in the tiniest room possible hammer out a neurotic-but-apt beat here, complimenting the song’s ultra tight feel. Lyrical motifs also start to form here, as Gesteihr sings: “I used to think I was hot shit, got a degree so I could fuck around. My arteries are carotid, there’s only one way to get famous now – I want to be on CCTV” Whether Gestiehr[...]

Soft Mothers – Hysterical Love

April 12, 2024

San Antonio’s Soft Mothers (SM) were formed in 2016 by Luis Rocha. Since then, they’ve released a steady stream of alternative-rock flavored music full of angsty guitar energy, heavily inspired by mid/late ’90s and early 2000’s post-hardcore and grunge. Their latest offering is the quasi-full length release, Hysterical Love – an eight-song LP that has plenty in common with all of your favorite throwback acts with enough gritty, basement-show vigor to feel fresh. There’s lots to dive into here – you’ll hear hints of acts of various intensities, ranging all the way from At the Drive In through Citizen through Pedro the Lion. Hysterical Love opens with “Leave Me;” guitar chords ring out in a dirge-like pace, soaked in lovely shimmer effects. SM leans into this crawling tempo, allowing the song to breathe as it crescendos into a roiling bridge. Here, the drums pick up with jazzy snare hits and rolls around 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.

Jovi Skyler – Call It A Day

April 5, 2024

Last time we checked in with Sydney’s Jovi Skyler, we were reviewing the ten-song LP Nothing To Do, full of Jovi’s unique blend of punk and psychedelic rock with a fun, raw approach. Having embodied the spirit of the ’90s with a DIY twist, we found his music to be charming underneath all the grit and wild, mind-bending antics and visuals. Jovi’s back with a brand new EP, the succinct, four-song Call It A Day, which finds the Sydneysider vegetarian punk-rocker singer-songwriter experimenting with more traditional song structures, sharper mixes, and a honed-in approach on straight up punk fervor. Jovi opens the EP with the four-chord onslaught of “Asshole.” A four-on-the-floor tom beat pummels your ear drums as a swarm-of-bees guitar jams a simple chord progression down your throat. Jovi seems to have foregone the psychedelic influence of his last offering in favor of candid songwriting simplicity. Reminiscent of early[...]

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

Sofia Bolt x Stella Donnelly – “Bus Song”

April 3, 2024

Sofia Bolt and Stella Donnelly teamed up for a dreamy new single in the form of “Bus Song.” Not to be confused with the Jay Som song of the same name, “Bus Song” finds the duo playing with swimmy guitar chords, plunking bass, and a ruthlessly catchy call-and-response chorus. Fans of Big Thief, Alvvays, and the aforementioned Jay Som will like the smooth and creamy indie found here – keep your ears peeled for the tasteful sax and cool guitar plucks in the chorus. Check out “Bus Song” below via the YouTube embed, or, on Spotify.

Garage Sale – “Movie”

April 3, 2024

Melbourne’s Garage Sale specialize in heartbreaking shoegaze/emo – we’re recommending their latest single, “Movie,” for your listening pleasure.. Sounding like a perfect mix of Smashing Pumpkins, OVLOV, and Duster, the band seems to have mastered the quiet/loud songwriting method with downtrodden verses that explode into fuzz-filled glory. Diary-esque lyrics about borderline disassociation cut straight to the bone, as the dirty and angry guitar tones offset the ennui with their punishing presence. Perfect for fans of Midwest emo, shoegaze, and everything in between. You can find “Movie” on Bandcamp (below), Movie by Garage Sale