A Resurrected Dolly Sods Mark Triumphant Return with New Music, Video & Show

Dolly Sods (Photo by Greg McClure @asceneifound)

Buffalo shoegaze band Dolly Sods — which had been on hiatus while its members lived across the state from one another — has reunited and is making music once again.

The regrouped band, in fact, is marking its return to the Buffalo scene with a video release today in support of its excellent new single, ‘Good Old Neon.’ Shot and edited by James Werick (@soulmanatees), you can watch the video HERE as well as at the bottom of this page.

Featuring a new lineup, Dolly Sods will mark their reunification with a show this Friday at Milkie’s at 8 p.m. The band’s relaunch also signals the musical return to Buffalo of its guitarist, Jesse James, who had relocated to Brooklyn for a spell.

“The first ‘ending’ of Dolly Sods was never really a planned or purposeful thing,” Jesse said. “We thought we could make the band work from opposite sides of the state, and it just never really happened. I suppose we sort of knew the band would eventually find its way back, whether with a new lineup or some other change in circumstances. Turns out living in New York City isn't for everyone; I had both an insanely fun and incredibly difficult time living there and, at a certain point, the pros just weren't worth the cons.”

Upon moving back to Buffalo this past summer, Jesse reunited with Dolly Sods bassist Nate Ward, but original drummer Andy Pothier — due to commitments both musical and academic — wasn’t available.

The band then eventually found new drummer Monika Lux.

“Monika posted a flyer in Revolver Records looking to join a band full-time while my friend Kelsey was working and it all sort of happened instantly: Monika was already familiar with the band, and she absolutely ruled on the kit first practice,” Jesse said. “About 10 weeks later and here we are booking tour dates, sort of by fate.” 

Jesse said that with Monika’s entrance into the band, it was soon realized there was a potential to play more technical, heavier music.

“Dolly Sods has always sort of existed on this crossroads between our love of doom and black metal and heavy shoegaze, and then this lighter, prettier ‘slowcore’ side. In the past, it seemed like we would maybe one day take the second route, turn the effects down and play quiet, sad songs,” Jesse said. “Monika has a background in metal and has played in some killer black metal and adjacent projects, so I would say that we're leaning into that side of the band more purposefully. We're by no means a metal band, but we take pride in the fact that we can feel just as at home on an indie show as a metal one.”

The new song, meanwhile, Jesse said, is the first single from the band’s forthcoming self-titled EP, which Dolly Sods will be releasing and touring behind in January.

"‘Good Old Neon’ is basically about the vastness of the spaces between people,” Jesse said. “The millions of flashes of thoughts and feelings and emotions and associations, the giant sea of thought in our brains at any split second is just far too massive and complicated to describe in words or music or art or poetry. That we only see each other through and express ourselves out of these tiny pinholes and never really share the full picture.”

With a new line-up and the band’s first show Friday night — and another in Philadelphia at Cambria House on Dec. 12 — Jesse said the excitement is palpable.

“We're very much looking forward to playing our relaunch show. Our good friend, ‘Ex-Pat,’ is opening it up. ‘Mogra’ will close it out with their weighty blackgaze, and our friends in ‘Budge it’ will be debuting at this one as well. We think the bill will be something new and refreshing for Buffalo music heads.”