SOUNDBITES: A Roundup of Music News from the Buffalo Scene
Hotel Etiquette and Gatto Black — the musical juggernauts of Buffalo musicians Mike Hansen and Sal Mastrocola, respectively — have released the first singles from their forthcoming split, ‘THIRST/SHADOW,’ which is due out in early 2027. The drop, available on streaming platforms, features Hotel Etiquette’s ‘I Want to Help You Meet God,’ and ‘Kiss Me With Your Eyes Closed’ by Gatto Black. The upcoming record — which will include four songs from Hotel Etiquette and three original tracks by Gatto Black plus an AFI cover — will be issued by Triple Hammer Records. Recorded over the summer at Mammoth Recording Studio with John Angelo in Buffalo, the split is now available for pre-order at the Triple Hammer website HERE. You can also keep up on all THIRST/SHADOW news by following the socials of Hotel Etiquette and Gatto Black.
Havana Syndrome, the project of prolific Buffalo punk musician Lucas Kaleta, has dropped its debut LP titled ‘S/T,’ which you can check out and purchase HERE. The 10-track album is issued by Swimming Faith Records, which describes the record as “Kaleta’s madcap solo mission into a dangerous full-band collective.” We say the LP is a frantic excursion into Kaleta’s possessed mind, replete with hardcore punk ferocity and snarling, head-on-fire vocals. Definitely not the same ol’-same ol’ and definitely worth checking out. Listen to and purchase Havana Syndrome’s ‘S/T’ HERE.
Speaking of Swimming Faith, the label also recently issued the new album by the Buffalo hardcore punk outfit, Civilized People. Fast and furious, ‘Demo’ is a seven-song tornado of blistering hardcore punk, which the label says was made by five “poorly dressed guys who look like they fall down a lot.” Check it out and buy the record HERE.
They Live and Healer have teamed up on a split LP titled ‘From the Caves of New York.’ The 20-track album — featuring They Live on Side A and Healer on Side B — is an epic onslaught of brutal brain-jarring hardcore and full-throttle aggression. Notable too here is the album’s cover art done by the late and immensely talented Buffalo artist Scott Sonner. ‘From the Caves of New York’ was engineered, mixed and mastered by Doug White of Watchmen Studios. Listen to and buy the LP — digital and on vinyl — HERE. The vinyl is also available at Out There Records on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. Another cool note, both They Live and Healer feature members of the excellent Buffalo Oi! Band, Taker, whose 2026 LP ‘Sons and Daughters’ is more than worth your time.
Pretty Good State University will be dropping a new single called ‘Pretty Good Song,’ a prelude to the forthcoming new record by the Buffalo punk band. The single will be released in the next few days on streaming platforms, so keep an eye out. Pretty Good State University has been in the studio writing and recording new material and is eyeing the release of a new EP in 2027. The record is expected to include a mix of at least six new, and re-worked, tracks.
Roger Bryan and the Orphans have released their third single from their upcoming album, ‘Open Chord Dispatch.’ The latest song to drop is titled ‘Beggars Night.’ The single follows the August and September releases, respectfully, of the songs Concrete and Van. Meanwhile, the full 10-track LP — produced, mixed and mastered by John Angelo and issued by Harvest Sum Recordings — is set for release Nov. 13. The vinyl can be pre-ordered HERE.
Creating a Sinner has released a new single called ‘Survive the Night.’ The song marks the fourth single dropped this year by the band, whose music blends Midwest emo, indie, and alt rock. The latest single comes in advance of the band’s forthcoming new EP which will be dropping very soon. It’s been a busy 2026 for the band, which has also released the singles Deadweight, Figuratively Speaking and Sciamachy. Creating a Sinner’s catalogue can be heard HERE. Check them out and follow them on their socials HERE and HERE.
The inexhaustible Wylie Something has dropped a new EP. Titled ‘Free Jazz,’ the four-track release is, as always, a trippy kaleidoscope of indie-psych sound. After all, Wylie is gonna Wylie. ‘Free Jazz’ is chock full of some really cool percussive features, and this time out, Wylie Something — (the alter ego of Jacob Smolinski) — also infuses some heavy elements, such as on the opening track, ‘Gunslinger’. “These tunes exist in the frayed edges. Too distinct to live on an album, but right at home here on this collective,” Smolinski notes. Distinct indeed. But then again, what else would one expect from Wylie Something? Check out and purchase ‘Free Jazz’ HERE.
Fredonia’s Paper Tigers has released a new six-song EP titled ‘Under the Pavement, There is a Beach.’ Ethereal and beautifully crafted, the record is an interesting blend of indie and gaze with momentary shades that conjure Mazzy Star vibes. Engineered and mixed by Nathan Weise of Sycamore Sounds in Buffalo, ‘Under the Stars, Beneath the Pavement’ is a very good EP by a very good band. Get on it HERE.
Passion Tax will be releasing its first full-length album on Saturday (Oct. 31). The band — comprised of a bass duo — will mark the milestone with an album release show on Halloween night at Revolver Records on Elmwood, at which physical copies will be available. Get on it.
Amateur Hockey Club has dropped a new single. The track, titled ‘Heavy Thursdays,’ is a song the bands says is about recognizing how much you need your friends. Check it out HERE. Catch Amateur Hockey Club Nov. 6 in Rochester at Montage Music Hall and Nov. 7 at Mohawk Place in Buffalo.
Two new songs have been released by Buffalo indie songwriter JOEYB. The track, ‘I Give Up,’ dropped just recently, comes on the heels of the song ‘Finish this Mix.’ Follow JOEYB HERE and listen to his music on the streams.
Jake King will be out with a new album on Nov. 6. Titled ‘Eyelashes,’ the 12-track LP will be issued through the label Record Beach. You can pre-order the vinyl HERE and listen to ‘Scissors,’ the lead single from the LP HERE. The new record also will be marked by an album release show that will be held on Nov. 20 at Area 54.
And lastly, it being October, the indefatigable Brandon Schlia is out with his latest annual October record under the name, helmsley. Titled ‘deadlock,’ the album issued through Schlia’s Steak and Cake record label features 16 tracks. Rather than dropping all the songs at once, Schlia has been releasing the tracks, available HERE, four at a time, starting back on Oct. 5 and thru Nov. 5. Contributors on the record include musicians Harry Graser, Katie Weissman, Maya LaMacchia and Bean Pitonak. As Schlia noted on the Steak and Cake Bandcamp page: “This is the first time in helmsley history that I had the pleasure of leaning on others to help generate the songs. Their time and talent really shine through.’
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