SOUNDBITES: A Roundup of Music News from the Buffalo Scene
- matt smith
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
Buffalo power-violence band Bile Study is out today with its latest release, ‘Bite the Hand, Take What’s Mine.’ A frenzied and bone-jarring work, the seven-track EP was recorded and mixed by Jay Zubricky at GCR Audio and mastered by Mike Fridmann. Check it out HERE. The album is a follow-up to the band’s 2025 album, ‘Tomorrow It’ll Only Be Worse.’ On Feb. 7, Bile Study will be playing the Punk Olympics, a six-band bill to benefit Palestine. The show is at Chemical No. 2, and you can get more details HERE.
Dolly Sods are out today with a new EP, the band’s first record with its new line-up. The self-titled five-song record can be listened to HERE. The group will celebrate its new work with an EP release show Saturday at Nietzsche’s, with Lower Pony, Wylie Something and the DOT, and The Spit Sisters. 1120 Press spoke with the band back in November about its reformation and music, and you can revisit that story HERE. And if you haven’t seen it yet, check out the Dolly Sods killer video for ‘good old neon,’ the first single from the group’s new record.
Buffalo hardcore powerhouse Jeweltone has released a new single. Titled ‘I Want to Be Me,’ the song is chock full of the band’s signature fury and uncompromising attitude. Recorded and mixed by Jay Zubricky and mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios, you can listen to the new track HERE. Jeweltone is also part of a monster bill playing Feb. 13 at Rec Room in Buffalo, also featuring Terminator, Sostre!, Numbskull and headliners, Spaced.
Buffalo indie band The Mookies have dropped an excellent new single. Catchy and superbly crafted, the song is called ‘Lonely Lion’ and you can hear it HERE. You can also catch The Mookies on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at Third Space in Buffalo with The Ant Hill Kids and Prairie Pavement.
The ever-prolific James Froese — known across the Buffalo scene by the name Hello London — has released his latest single titled ‘Hourglass.’ The song — to which you can listen HERE and HERE — once again showcases Froese’s musical range and penchant for flirting with different styles and genres. The song was dropped Jan. 3 and if this single is any indication of what else Hello London has in store for us in 2026, we’re certainly down.
Musician Brandon Oleksy has dropped a blistering six-track release called ‘Demos’ under the name Hot Beer. Brandon, a renowned scene photographer, does it all himself on this record and it’s a total ripper, with its five original songs evoking an early 80s California hardcore punk sound. The release also includes a cover of My Bloody Valentine’s ‘No Place to Go.’ You can listen to ‘Demos’ HERE on the Teeth Vs Teeth Tapes Bandcamp page. The release was recorded as part of Demo Fest 2025, which you can learn about HERE.
Lara Buckley — aka Lala Buckstar — has been quite busy as of late. Buckstar has dropped four new tracks recently. Three of those songs — ‘gold digger,’ ‘give me fright,’ and ‘plutoh,’ all of which were released in the first week of January — are hauntingly psychedelic and poetic, and showcase Buckstar’s daring experimentalism. Meanwhile, the stark and ethereal ‘darkness lives,’ released Dec. 30, gives off a vibe reminiscent of Patti Smith's ‘Where Duty Calls.’ It’s all very cool and you should check it out. Follow Lala Buckstar on Bandcamp HERE.
The Buffalo three-piece indie rock band Red Button Dilemma has announced it will have new music dropping next month. The band posted on its Instagram page it will release its latest single, ‘Streets of Fear,’ on Feb. 13. The song reaches back to 2021, when venues re-opened post-pandemic but also while the virus itself was still rampant, along with the fear and loathing associated with the time. Follow Red Button Dilemma on Spotify HERE and on their Insta HERE.
And lastly, Urge Surfer is out with a very cool video for its trippy new song, ‘Pearl Tea.’ Urge Surfer is the synth-infused electro-pop side project of Jordan Smith and Chelsea O., widely known for their work in Stress Dolls. The video was made as part of Urge Surfer’s entry for this year’s NPR Tiny Desk contest. Check it out below!
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