Released on February 6th, Blanket arrives as our Album of the Week for its ability to feel both incredibly small and remarkably large at the same time. Recorded at home and mastered by Ben Morey at Rochester’s Submarine Sounds Studio, the album maintains a raw, living room feel while benefiting from a sophisticated sense of space. It’s a record that leans right into the long-form compositions with gradual sonic shifts that feels like watching wispy soft clouds turn heavy with the threat of storm.

The opening track, “Dove,” sets a deliberate pace. Clocking in at six minutes, it moves from a dozy, delicate crawl into choruses that bite with a solid amount of grit, showcasing the record’s duality right from the opening track. It’s also here that we see the influence of Keegan’s background in the blog-favorite slowcore outfit Kitchen, with instrumentation that feels weighted and intentional. The album doesn’t stay in one lane though; the lead single “Fired and Expelled” pivots toward this playful, droning energy that sounds like something right off of Neutral Milk Hotel’s first LP. It’s a fuzzy, psyche-leaning highlight where Nichols’ lyrics (“I betrayed myself and now I’m someone else / I’m in hell”) strike a balance between personal introspection and whimsical freak folk experimentation.

The mid-section explores more indie-rock adjacent territory with “Scarecrow Blue Bow” and “Orchard Beach City Island.” These tracks offer a fuller band feel, layering Nichols’ wispy ethereal vocals through thickets of fuzz and melodic hooks. They provide a nice counterweight to the more ambient “Omnipotent” or glacial pace of “Tornado,” giving the record variety. On “Cold Air,” Nichols’ songwriting is at its most piercing, with lyrics like “Claw off the frost from the window / slow down the car ‘cause of the snow / you crave a kiss like a crash / the thought it strikes like a match.”

The album ends on its longest note with title track “Blanket,” a track that really showcases the production chemistry between Nichols and Keegan. It’s eight minutes of pure mood–droning and flowy ambiance that’s light on structure but totally immersive. It’s got that specific “recorded at home” warmth that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the corner of their basement studio watching it happen. For anyone in WNY who has been following Shep Treasure since 2018, this feels like the sound they’ve been chasing all along. Blanket is streaming now on all major platforms with some nice looking physical media available on their bandcamp.

The post Shep Treasure – Blanket first appeared on buffaBLOG.

Captain Tom & the Hooligans @ Molly Maguires

Buffalo’s #1 polka band under sixty years old will play a fun one at one of South Buffalo’s finest dive bars on Friday. If you aren’t familiar, Captain Tom & the Hooligans exploded onto the scene post-Covid, sharing the stage with both punk rock bands and old time Polish journeymen, gaining fans along the way with their re-imaginative spin on polka classics. They’ve hit the local market pretty heavily over the past couple of years and you may have encountered the band inadvertently on their circuit of community festivals, breweries and one-offs. If you’ve ever heard a band playing polka with some stank on it, it was likely Captain Tom & the Hooligans. No cover, just buy 5 White Claws.

(Photo by shervinfoto)

Saturday, January 18th @ 7pm

Rubblebucket @ Electric City

Rubblebucket returns to Buffalo this Saturday, showcasing their set at the hottest new megaplex venue in town, Electric City. The Brooklyn-based art-pop act is touring in support of their Q4 2024 release, Year of the Banana. Composed of former Universtiy of Vermont graduates Annakalmia Traver and Alex Toth, the band has been making waves on the national indie scene for over fifteen years. If you’re a fan of Tune-Yards, Caroline Rose, or Sylvan Esso, then this one would be right up your alley. $29 gets you in the door.

(Photo by Claire Georgie) 

Saturday, January 18th @ 8pm

Shep Treasure @ Milkies

Milkies has a bit of a Western NY ripper Saturday featuring some of the areas most buzzed about regional bands. Making their way from Rochester is Shep Treasure, the moniker of former Slumbers member Sabrina Nichols. Their sound has a pretty, dreamy slowcore vibe to it thats enchanting and ethereal.

Not to be overshadowed is Hal & Pals, a formerly Fredonia-based indie outfit that have re-dispersed throughout the state, but will be returning to Buffalo for a one-off. Lead by Halle Cook, Hal & Pals have a twangy Courtney Barnett tinge to their sound.

Rounding out the already impressive bill will be two very familiar faces to the local indie scene, moody mall-goths Hundred Plus Club and shoegaze extraordinaires Elemantra. It’s $10 and that’s a steal.

The post Must See Shows (1/15/24-1/21/24) first appeared on buffaBLOG.

Frontwoman Sabrina Nichols has been narrating my thoughts for a few years now. This is her second time landing Album of the Week, the former being in the days of a previous project, Slumbers. After I learned about them from a fellow audience member at an Advance Base show at Rochester’s Small World Books, their first – and only – EP,  Come Over, quickly became one of my favorites. The sound was laid-back and comforting, and the lyrics were relatable to the point of feeling like I could’ve written them in my own journal. The only disappointment was that this was all Slumbers had released, and though they talked about releasing another album, it never came.

Three years and some change later, Shep Treasure has stepped in to fill the void, though they’re shaped a little differently. The subject matter is still sharply personal, and the melodies are still sweet and catchy. Nichols leads with familiarly hushed vocals and ambling guitar, but these signature elements, mixed with John Lewandowski’s drums and Tiger Adams’ bass riffs, form something refreshing and completely separate from what we’ve heard before.

Shep Treasure’s sound is, in a word, pleasant. The chord progressions are straightforward, and each song is relatively upbeat. The band fleshes out stark song structures by layering multiple guitar tracks and bringing the bass lines forward, often breaking into some groovy and unexpected riffs. It’s cohesive, but touches different ends of the indie spectrum; at times the sound leans more toward pop, and at others it errs on the side of rock, even showing some influence from Midwestern emo. All this mixed with bright, rhythmic drumming and the occasional glowing synth patch makes for a sound you’d associate with so-called good vibes. Even the slower, syrupier moments – like the beginning of opener, “Dirt” – eventually expand into radiance.

The EP would almost work as an instrumental endeavor, but the real glue of the project is a combination of Nichols’ calming, layered vocals and tender lyricism. We hear about relationships, self-consciousness, self-doubt, vomit, and anti-anxiety medication – a list that barely scratches the surface of the topics covered in just the words of “Nothing.” As listeners, we feel like we’re on the receiving end of a one-sided conversation, but many of us likely also feel like we could be the ones speaking.

All elements of Shep Treasure’s debut are crucial to this balance between light and dark. We’re forced to confront the darker side of young adulthood in the lyrics, but the relaxed instrumentation and airy harmonies cushion the blow. There’s a reason this EP is in my heavy rotation right now – it’s comforting to know someone else has the same worries you do, all wrapped in an endearing indie pop package.

Shep Treasure’s debut EP is now available on all streaming platforms, as well as below.

Written by Grace Trimper

The post Shep Treasure – s/t first appeared on buffaBLOG.