aaamusic | On 30, Apr 2013

It seems to be an unwritten rule of life that even if you’re writing an essay that makes life feel like an evening out under the whims of the Marquis de Sade, there is something about the scuzzy, sparky groove of a song like ‘Blue Lips’ that makes you want to put your shades on and take your laptop and fermenting angst out into the garden for a chill-out session. Starting with a swaggering percussive lollop (complete with what may even be handclaps) and an oh-so-sweet-oh-so-fuzzy guitar line, the song just oozes effortless cool, almost gliding through its first half. And then, out of nowhere, a battering sonic thunder hits the listener, moving Bite The Buffalo from a band that wouldn’t be too out of place on an alcoholic beverage advert to a band that have, well, a bit more bite. The slick guitars with that familiar tempting, bluesy, melodic riff shape that’s had its rays shine a bit of light on everything from 60s pop, 70s glam rock and blues, through to the recent psych-blues revival swerve into snarling yet controlled distortion, and the song takes on a heady, swirling feel, adding layer upon layer of psychedelic instrumentation to create a lush, decadent rock number. The lyrics are, well, a bit simplistic, but then again verbose poetry perhaps wouldn’t fit the bill anyway.

Bite the Buffalo are not exactly revolutionary, and I can’t help but feel the opening is a bit “cooler-than-thou” in its slick pop-blues feel that blatantly rides on the tail of the popularity of bands like The Black Keys. But the production is crystal-clear, the melodies are lush, and the guitar tone has just enough snarl to keep the scuzzy, risqué feel. One to file in your summer playlist, and rightfully so – there’s something undeniably satisfying about a well-written, languidly hazy pop song with a bit of bite to it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go sit under a tree for a while and hum the opening riff to myself.

★★★★★

Katie H-Halinski