By: Victor Van Ommen
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 05/01/2018
Label: Independent
The band sounds confident as they play through the dreamy plucking of
the guitars, the perfectly enunciated vocals, and that sweet meditative groove
that drummer Scott Donaldson brings with him. The tunes are mellow, meditative,
groovy, and best of all, heady. As a short release, “Repeater” does what it’s
intended to do and offers the hungry fans just a taste of what the main course
is going to bring. Bring on that sophomore release!
“Repeater” DD//LP
track listing:
1.
Repeater
2. Too Little Too Late
3. Centurion
The Review:
Some bands got it and others don’t. Then there
are the bands who get it, whereas others don’t. King Buffalo decided
years ago to foray into the world of heavy-psych and make a name for
themselves. 2013 saw the release of a demo, this was followed up by a split
with Le
Betre, and then 2016 came at us with their first full length, “Orion.” Over the course of these
releases, and certainly on their full length, the Buffalo, New York
trio showed that they’ve both got it and get it.
Bring in the first week of 2018, and King Buffalo
nonchalantly release a new EP, “Repeater.”
Comprised of three songs varying in length from 14 minutes, 4 and 6 minutes,
this EP is the needed stepping stone to the band’s next full-length. There’s no
telling when their sophomore album will drop, but until then, here’s 20 more
minutes of new King
Buffalo tunes.
The first thing that came to my mind when I heard this
EP was that it reminded me of Side A of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” The way this 1973 classic album quietly
opens and flourishes with “Speak to
Me/Breathe,” finds solace in an experimental interlude before wailing away
with the album’s single, “Time,” “Dark Side of the Moon” is almost
one-to-one to the vibe and feel of “Repeater.”
And I mean this as a compliment.
At a quick 20 minutes, “Repeater” is all packed on to one side of a 12” record. King Buffalo
make no qualms in taking their sweet time to let the music unfold. The band
sounds confident as they play through the dreamy plucking of the guitars, the
perfectly enunciated vocals, and that sweet meditative groove that drummer
Scott Donaldson brings with him. The tunes are mellow, meditative, groovy, and
best of all, heady.
The sprawling 14-minute title track opens things up
with a psych-out that travels far and wide. As far as the production goes, it’s
impeccable, especially around the 9-minute mark when the guitars start going
wild. “Too Little Too Late” brings
with it heavier guitars and enough swirl to spin your head around backwards.
The song’s hypnotic in its pulsing and zany experimentation, serving up a
fitting transition to the EP’s closing track, “Centurion,” which is streaming below. This last song carries with
it a vibe that’s more stoned than the opening cut. To put it bluntly, “Repeater”
is to wake up to and “Centurion” is
for those late hours of the night.
These 20 minutes pass by pretty quickly. King Buffalo
manages to have this control on time, regardless the length of the release.
Case in point, “Orion” still passes
me by in the blink of an eye. As a short release, “Repeater” does what it’s intended to do and offers the hungry fans
just a taste of what the main course is going to bring. Bring on that sophomore
release!
“Repeater” is available to preorder/buy here
Band info: Facebook || bandcamp
