The Ten Best Songs from Buffalo in 2025
As we start getting back to into the swing of things at the blog in 2026, it’s necessary to reflect and share what our favorite songs from 2025 were. It was a great year for the Buffalo music scene, and we can’t wait to see where 2026 brings us. Here’s our favorite ten songs out of Buffalo in 2025 – with a Spotify playlist to listen along.
10. The Burkharts – “Tell Me”
The tail-end of 2025 saw the return of beloved surf-pop scenesters, The Burkharts, with a new single “Tell Me.” The new track stays in the realm of their 60s-soaked beachiness with their usual inspirations of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. No longer the youngsters on the block, The Burkharts continue to evolve their sound while masterfully creating melodies and multi-part harmonies that stick to your ribs. – Ron Walczyk
9. Science Man – “Puzzle Hoax”
No one in the Buffalo scene does chaotic punk rock better than Science Man‘s mastermind John Toohill. A fixture in the local DIY scene, Toohill has been instrumental and present for close to twenty years, spanning close to a dozen projects both as the frontman and support. Science Man is Toohill’s Frankenstein, with 2025 seeing the resurrection of the project. The new album continued with Science Man’s dizzying repertoire, with the track “Monarch Joy” being the chaotic yet cohesive track that beats your brains in knots and makes you come back for more. – Matt Burgerhoff
8. Wylie Something – “God’s Country”
Wylie Something * is the moniker for prolific Buffalo musician Jake Smolinski, who has been making waves in the local scene since he was a teenager fronting The Cascos. His creativity is seemingly unbound, always working on something himself or lending his talents to other local projects. Wylie Something is the umbrella where Smolinski is the most true to himself: part slacker rock, part freak folk, part coffeeshop singer-songwriter, and his latest EP Up Through The Rust blends it all up nicely. The track “God’s Country” made us return to the release again and again with its drowsy slacker stroll and escapist lyrics. “Hundo’ miles out” — nowhere I’d rather be. – Ron Walczyk
7. Spaced – “Dog Bite”
Spaced has continued their break-out momentum in 2025, becoming leaders in Buffalo’s hardcore scene as well as one of the city’s most brutal exports. Since forming in 2021, the quintet has continuously grown bigger and better, sharing the stage with some of hardcore’s most respected acts and touring the USA and UK on said buzz. Spaced’s 2025 EP, No Escape, is a perfect snapshot of the band’s essence, with the fifth track on the album, “Dog Bite” standing out the most to our ears. It’s a heater, complete with gang vocals, aggressive punk energy, and is a snapshot of the band’s intensity and propensity for hardcore bangers. – Matt Burgerhoff
6. Passed Out – “Being Elsewhere”
2025 saw the return of beloved local indie act, Passed Out, who emerged with an EP and LP after close to five years since their last release. With their latest double release, the group continues with their signature punk-laced emo, (think Desaparecidos) highlighted by lead singer Andy Pothier’s biting, impassioned vocal delivery and accented by backup vocalist Jake Rogers perfect echo and harmonies. Pothier’s lyrics have a definitive Conor Oberst tilt to them, however, where he excels is his emotionally intelligent storytelling akin to that of Craig Finn of The Hold Steady. “Being Elsewhere,” off the band’s Do you miss anything at all? EP, is a slice of everything the band does well: interesting arrangements, flawless dynamics, and that killer lyrical despondency. – Ron Walczyk
5. Raybees – “Egg”
Basement psych-rock recording project Raybees blew us away with their second EP, Reaper, Take My Life For Free!. The band is an amalgamation of many of the local scene’s top players with collaboration from vocalist Jacob Smolinski (Wylie Something), drummer Dan Keegan (Wild Pink), keyboardist Kam Plotner (Velvet Bethany), guitarist Matthew Danger Lippman, and bassist Bran Schlia (Steak & Cake Records). Together, the powers combine to create a noisy Osees-esque release that is punchy and raw. Standout track from the album is the devilishly fun opener “Egg,” with references about the Scajaquada and Old Pink snarled by Smolinski’s brash and gravel-y vocals. – Ron Walczyk
4. The Mookies – “Grocery Store”
The Mookies underwent a big transition in 2025, evolving from the previous entity “Mookie,” adding a “The” and making the band name plural. The quintet seemed to thrive on the Elmwood strip, bringing their high energy jangle-pop sound to nearly every attic, basement, and dive bar in that allowed music in the city. The band etched it’s way into one of our favorite outbreak acts of the year with their track “Grocery Store,” a song about falling in love in the supermarket aisle and imagining a life together. Don’t listen to this one at the Lexington Co-Op, it could get dangerous. – Nick Sessanna
3. Super Flea – “86”
Usually a demo is just a sampling of what a band has been tinkering with and wants to show the world what they sound like… This might help get the band some starter gigs, or maybe get on the radar of a record label that might lead to a future signing. Rarely, does a demo pack a punch as hard as Super Flea’s 2025 demo, specifically opening track “86.” The project combines some of the flavor profiles of buzzing pop-punk act Autoignition and singer/songwriter Milo Duhn to create an intense, driving pop-punk banger, driven by studio drummer Greg McClure of Del Paxton. This track has shades of the very best Knuckle Puck and Neck Deep singles and we are excited to see where 2026 takes this quartet. – Nick Sessanna
2. Gatto Black – “You Can’t Make Me Dance”
Gatto Black * seems to have a breakout year in 2026 and pulled no punches getting back to the grind after his incredible 2024 album Not Ready to Die. In summer 2025, Gatto Black released a new single titled You Can’t Make Me Dance,” a slice of skate-punk melodic hardcore that reflects on project-lead Sal Mastrocola’s youth and dealing with the duality of being queer and Catholic. Gatto Black delivers sing-a-long gang choruses and an intensity that never seems to fade, tickling our propensities for Comeback Kid, Bayside, and AFI. – Nick Sessanna
1. Johnny & the Man Kids – “The Way Things Go”
Johnny & The Man Kids * have been a reliable source of garage pop goodness for nearly a decade at this point and their foothold on the local indie scene is both established and well-deserved. The band’s early-Spring EP Everything is From Now On is easily one of those top-to-bottom releases with no skips, earning itself some heavy rotation in the blog offices and beyond. Well-roundedness aside, the standout track is opener “The Way Things Go,” a bright and jangly indie rock noodlefest that packs bittersweet nostalgia alongside those surgical leads. JATMK’s poppy energy and ability to deliver heater after heater at this rate is unmatched for the band’s lifespan. – Ron Walczyk
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This post was written by Admin