Rochester, New York, trio King Buffalo will release three full-lengths throughout 2021.

Repeat: three.

The band — comprised of guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson — recently oversaw the release of Live at Freak Valley (review here) as a follow-up to their early-2020 EP, Dead Star (review here). By now the narrative of group-who-should’ve-spent-all-of-2020-touring-but-didn’t should be well familiar, but King Buffalo made exceptional use of the time. As Donaldson explains in the interview below in discussing their project, they actually had enough to use for four albums and decided to whittle it down to three.

This does nothing less than set King Buffalo up to potentially own the year, especially with the way they’re going about it. Each of the three albums will be recorded in a different manner and setting, so that while they’re using songs written during the same span of lockdown months, the presentation of each LP will inherently be different because the experience behind it will be different. In talking to Donaldson, I brought up a kind of second-installment syndrome, thinking of examples from Earth‘s Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light and Ufomammut‘s Oro two-parter projects, wherein the second piece came out and brought more of what the first had on offer. King Buffalo‘s methodological thinking seems like not only a clever workaround, but a way to continue to grow the band each time out.

And, it needs to be said, to take the place, momentum-wise, of touring. One would figure that if King Buffalo put out one album in alternate-reality-2021, they’d tour to support it in Europe and the US. Instead of those two tours, the band makes the jump through albums three, four and five in a span of months. Even if you’re a King Buffalo fan, it might seem like a lot to take in, but if the band have proved anything yet in their tenure, it’s that their work stands up to being digested over a longer time. That is, just because album four has arrived doesn’t mean you’re not still allowed to listen to album three.

Many details about the recording projects are still to be unveiled, but Donaldson talks a bit about the timing below — it may be 2022 before that last LP arrives, and if it is, fine — but his excitement is infectious. I hope you enjoy the interview.

The text of the band’s announcement also follows below:

King Buffalo, Interview with Scott Donaldson, Feb. 17, 2021

Hey Friends,

That’s not a typo, and we know it sounds crazy, but yes, we will be releasing THREE FULL-LENGTH RECORDS in 2021!

It’s all new material and we’re really excited to finally be able to tell you. Since Covid stopped all touring, we’ve been hard at work and made the commitment to not waste this time.

We can’t give you all the details, but each record will be distinct. We’ve chosen different methods to record and produce each one, and we will share that info with you in the coming months.

The artwork and single from the first record will be announced in a few weeks. So sit tight. There’s going to be a lot of new tunes coming and we can’t wait for you to hear them!

For a deeper dive, check out Scott’s interview over at theobelisk.net.

All the best,
KB

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Live at Freak Valley is everything one could reasonably ask a live record from King Buffalo to be. Recorded in 2019 in Germany at the Rockpalast-captured Freak Valley Festival, which has become an institution unto itself in Europe’s heavy rock underground, packed full of outdoor summer fests as it may be, it found the Rochester, New York, trio of guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson supporting their 2018 sophomore full-length, Longing to Be the Mountain (review here), on tour in Europe. And they’re in top form. The 54-minute set pulls together tracks from the second album, their 2016 debut, Orion (review here), as well as the title-cut from earlier-2018’s Repeater EP (review here), and in the energy of their performance and how it melds with their emergent heavy psychedelic grooves, the fluidity in and between the songs, it is nothing less than graceful, and it demonstrates the mastery the three-piece have over the immersive sound they create.

A spoken introduction in German brings them to the stage, and they begin with “Sun Shivers” from Longing to Be the Mountain, starting with a shorter track to draw the crowd in, which seems to work if the captured response is anything to go by. From there, it’s all-in, with “Longing to Be the Mountain” back-to-back with “Repeater” in a gorgeous 25-minute meld of molten, weighted psychedelics. The sprawl King Buffalo establish on stage at Freak Valley is different from on their albums, but no less engaging, and that’s a testament to the band’s commitment to their aesthetic. That is, it would be easy for them to be a rawer band live than they are. Instead, the melodies are intact and songs are drawn together one into the next by improvised-sounding stretches of guitar effects or sort of mini-jams. Consider the way “Repeater” gives way to “Orion,” and the emergence of that recognizable guitar figure as the song itself starts. It is an invitation to those fortunate enough to be assembled in front of the stage watching and hearing the band, to come and take part in the proceedings, as much a journey inward as far-out.

That sounds like hyperbole and maybe it is, but fuck it, I don’t care anymore. Put the song on and listen to the patience in Donaldson‘s drumming and Reynolds‘ bassline. Listen closely and you can hear someone in the crowd shout “fuckin’ beautiful!” at the end of “Orion,” and I can’t disagree, as Live at Freak Valley has given me a new appreciation for that song and how it’s obviously grown in the years since they released the album of the same name. But for, well, the rest of the thing, “Orion” would probably be a highlight, with McVay‘s communion with the constellation in the arriving-in-its-own-time first verse leading to the later surge that carries them out into a stop before “Kerosene” from the same record picks up with the drums starting ahead of the guitar, feedback announcing its coming before the actual howling begins. The tension there is palpable and that it gets paid off should be a surprise to no one who heard the album version, its second half working in stages to push through the finish with a winding but energetic pulse.

After due applause, they wrap with Longing to Be the Mountain closer “Eye of the Storm,” McVay saying beforehand that they’ll be hanging out by the merch area after the set. It’s easy to romanticize that idea now, right? Band plays a good show to a ready crowd, it goes out streamed live through one of Germany’s greatest rock and roll properties — that being Rockpalast — and then goes and sees friends new and old, sells some vinyl, some shirts, shakes hands, takes pictures, maybe watches some of A Place to Bury Strangers, who play next, and then probably eventually goes to find some food. It’s like something that happened in a different dimension and it sounds so simple. What the hell.

I’ll spare you the in-a-world-without-live-music-live-albums-are-treasure rant. You’re welcome. More even than that, what Live at Freak Valley does is give a look at the vitality of the band itself. They sound excited to be there. They’re playing like they’re excited to be there, and yet the songs aren’t egregiously fast. King Buffalo aren’t rushed in their delivery. They play through the material with, as noted, a masterful touch; one born of time spent doing exactly what they’re doing here — playing the set. The progression the band undertook between their first album and their second was no accident — they’ve communicated it to their listeners every single step of the way. From Orion to Repeater to Longing to Be the Mountain, the band cast off the trappings of being strictly heavy blues or strictly anything else. Psychedelic, progressive, thoughtful, melodic, heavy, spontaneous — all that and more carried across in the material of Longing to Be the Mountain, and it comes through on Live at Freak Valley as well. Shit, they end with a jam. A jam! What more could they possibly do to signal that the story goes on from here?

And it does. Last year, amid canceled tours and plans upended, King Buffalo issued their Dead Star EP (review here), which showed not only a more meditative aspect of their sound, but a branching out into the realms of atmospheric and dramatic synthesizer as well. What does all that portend when it comes to an awaited third full-length? I have no clue, and likewise I have no clue how spending a year off the road will affect their style or their approach in the studio, because of course these things feed off each other. All of this we’ll have to wait to know, but that the anticipation to do so even exists is evidence of how crucial a purpose Live at Freak Valley serves, not just in bridging the gap between one release and the next — though that too — but in giving a showcase to the depth and multifaceted nature of the band’s evolution. Long may it continue.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

—

Another week where I could feel my mind shrink and my ass expand. I’m just trying to get through the days at this point. I don’t even have a reason why. I just want to go to bed, put the pillow over my head, and wake up three times and push the alarm back until I finally just give up and sleep as late as I can. That’s around 7 or so when The Pecan is up. He’s back in school now. Two cases of the plague among the staff this week. They’ll shut down again, I’m sure. Probably a day after he’s used to getting on the bus again. That seems to be how it’s timed thus far. Yes, I take it personally. I take everything personally. It’s fucking called narcissism. Look it up.

Speaking of me, I was doing myself a favor with the King Buffalo pick up there. Feel like I’ve been writing about a lot of live records lately but of course there are a lot to be written about as bands try to keep momentum going between albums when they can’t tour, or want to take advantage of a Bandcamp Friday or want to remind people they exist or whatever it might be. I knew it was something I’d enjoy when I put it on and, sure enough, I enjoyed it. That’s a good band.

Anyway.

Next week is packed. Some of it you’ll give a crap about, some of it you won’t. Same as ever.

No Gimme show this week, though I turned in the playlist for next week already. It’s a weird one. Cool.

I wish you well. Hope you and yours are safe and healthy and all that. Don’t forget to hydrate.

Thanks for reading.

FRM.

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The Obelisk merch

Working in conjunction with Stickman Records and Rock Freaks Records, Rochester, NY’s King Buffalo will release Live at Freak Valley next month on a variety of 2LP styles. Test pressings, different colors, you know the drill. They’re not doing straight-digital or CD, but if you saw the stream of their set while it was happening at the German Freak Valley Festival last year, you know what you’re getting is a pretty astounding product, and even though the set took place before they released the Dead Star EP (review here) earlier this year, it should make an essential companion to the prior LP, 2018’s Longing to Be the Mountain (review here).

I’d have more to say, but hopefully I’ll be able to review the thing when the time is right.

From the PR wire:

KING BUFFALO – LIVE AT FREAK VALLEY Preorders start THIS FRIDAY 11/20/20 at 12pm EST.

King Buffalo is proud to announce our first ‘Live Album’ will be self-released on 12/11/20 throughout North America and see European issue via Stickman Records and Rock Freaks.

This a One-Time ONLY Pressing. It has been completely remixed and mastered for vinyl, and pressed to a double LP! Live at Freak Valley is a VINLY ONLY release. It will not be available as a CD or digitally (except for the download code that accompanies the vinyl).

“My favorite records have always been Live Albums. There’s something about the vibe that allows musicians to feed off the energy from the crowd and take things to another level. To have one of my favorite performances as a band remixed and mastered and pressed to vinyl is bucket list type stuff. I can’t wait for people to hear it and feel some Live Music again.” – Scott Donaldson (King Buffalo)

PREORDERS: https://kingbuffalo.bigcartel.com/

Live at FV Test Presses – Available this Friday at 12pm EST. Limited to 25, hand numbered, and ship immediately! They include a download code, poly bag, a signed “thank you” from the band, a hand numbered insert, and an exclusive alt art poster.

Live at FV Deluxe Edition – Limited to 250 units and pressed to 12″ Black and Gold Vinyl. The Deluxe Edition includes a polybag, a hand numbered tour poster, tour laminate and a download code. They’ll be shipped mid December.

Live at FV Standard Edition – Limited to 750 units and pressed to 12″ Green Splatter Vinyl. They include a polybag and download code. They’ll be shipped mid December.

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Is it surprising that King Buffalo have pushed their 2020 tours off until next year? No. The US broke a new record in COVID-19 cases yesterday, hitting nearly 37,000 new reported in a single. fucking. day. Aside from being disgraceful, that just means that traveling in this country right now is taking your life in your hands. Maybe you’ll be fine, maybe not. True, we roll the dice every time we leave the house anyway — never know when that piano’s gonna fall on your head — but there are factors of relative dangers to take into account. States will be relocked-down by the time the band would hit the road anyway. That seems inevitable, though the staggering amount of irresponsibility displayed thus far in terms of the governmental response makes anything possible, I suppose.

Mostly fucking death is what it makes possible.

King Buffalo released their righteously forward-thinking Dead Star EP (review here) earlier this Spring, and made the most of their time in lockdown with their four Quarantine Sessions videos, all of which I’ve posted below, because if you take the rest of your day and watch King Buffalo jam out, that’s probably a good way to spend that time.

Here’s the latest from the band:

Hey Friends,

We wanted to give everyone an update on what’s happening. As many of you might have guessed, it’s looking likely we will be postponing the majority of our shows until 2021. In this scenario shows would start up in January and continue from there. As soon as we have more details we will let you know. If your situation allows, please hold onto your tickets.

Since we recorded the Quarantine Sessions, we’ve been writing A LOT. We actually had to stop ourselves because we amassed almost 24 hours of jam sessions. Suffice to say, we will have material for multiple LPs in the coming future.

You’ve been keeping us busy by buying merch from our big cartel and bandcamp. We can’t thank you enough for your support! This will go to good use for future releases. We’ll be announcing something in the next couple months.

Lastly what ideas/comments do you guys have? Besides new material what would guys like to see? Let us know! Please take care of each other and stay safe. We will have more news for you soon.

-KB

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King Buffalo, Dead Star (Quarantine Sessions)

King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain (Quarantine Sessions)

King Buffalo, Repeater (Quarantine Sessions)

King Buffalo, Orion (Quarantine Sessions)

The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Sean McVay of King Buffalo (Rochester, New York)

—

How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

People from all over are getting hit really hard by this, and we’re certainly no exception to that. We had multiple tours set up coinciding with the release of our newest EP. So far we’ve had to postpone our entire spring tour, and are crossing our fingers that we’ll be able to keep our summer and fall dates. Thankfully, each of us and our families is currently safe and healthy.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

Here in Rochester, NY all workers that are not “essential” are required to work from home. All schools are closed, and all bars/restaurants are closed to the public (but can remain open for takeout/delivery). Any “non-essential” gathering of any kind is banned. Recently, the city started closing public playgrounds and basketball/tennis courts as well.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

In my neighborhood I’ve noticed more people in their yards playing with their kids and pets. It’s been nice to see people trying to stay positive and make the best of everything while still being responsible and social distancing, but there’s definitely still a bit of stress and uncertainty in the air. As far as the local arts community goes things are certainly more worrisome. Many artists also work in the food and beverage industry, so they’re being hit extra hard, and venues are obviously in a really rough situation. In a general sense, it’s been really nice to see the influx of live-streamed performances and overall flood of artistic content throughout the internet. Its awesome to see people trying to support each other where they can in spite of our government’s completely inept and inadequate response to all of this.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

First and foremost we want everyone to remain safe and healthy. We want everyone to make sure to take this virus seriously, and to do their part to help slow this thing down. We’re all in this together, and we all need to look out for one another. As far as King Buffalo goes… In an effort to make up for having to postpone our spring tour we filmed some live performances in our secluded practice space, and will be releasing them very soon. We have some other ideas cooking as well so keep an ear out. Best wishes to everyone and their families.

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[Click play above to stream King Buffalo’s Dead Star in full. It’s out this week and available to preorder from the band. Their Spring tour is in the process of being rescheduled due to pandemic. Read their statement here.]

Dead Star is anything but. What’s billed as the fourth King Buffalo EP is actually a sneaky third full-length from the Rochester, New York, three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson, clocking in at 35-plus minutes long and marked out by an expansive, creative and spacious flow that willfully builds on the accomplishments of the band’s past while bringing them to new places in terms of sound and arrangements.

From the outset, the sprawl in their sound that came to such satisfying fruition on 2018’s sophomore LP, Longing to Be the Mountain (review here) — which was the best record put out that year not by a band called Sleep — is pushed further, as the 16:21 opener and longest track (immediate points) “Red Star Pt. 1 & 2” embarks on an extended, from-silence-up linear build through its first part only to find itself nearly 12 minutes in as Donaldson‘s drums begin to gallop through its second part and McVay‘s vocals take on more of an urgent delivery suited to the space rocking thrust surrounding.

Underscored with reliable, underrated, secret-weapon-type low-end from Reynolds and fleshed out with undulations of synth and/or effects, it is King Buffalo on a cosmic grandstand in a way they simply never have been. Even their Jan. 2018 EP Repeater (review here), which opened with its 13-minute title-track, didn’t dare explore the regions of far-out that “Red Star Pt. 1 & 2” claims as the trio’s own, and certainly the heavy-psych-blues of 2016’s debut LP, Orion (review here), or the 2015 split with Sweden’s Lé Betre (review here) and the 2013 demo (review here) that preceded it only hinted at the barriers of sound the band would soon enough be breaking.

The latter piece of “Red Star Pt. 1 & 2” is immediate in classic space rock tradition, but still consistent with the slower psychedelic unfolding over the 11-plus minutes that it grew from, and when it crashes, it does so in righteous fashion, a slowdown-into-nod landing heavy and letting go into about a minute of cast-aloft noise and effects drift on a long fade.

If that was it, then sure, Dead Star would be an EP, but the progressive guitar piece “Echo of a Waning Star” — much shorter and just over three minutes long — picks up with a quieter melody of its own that comes to life at about halfway through. Beginning with plucked start-stop notes that stay consistent even as the full tonality and drums kick in circa 1:30 and then come back to the fore after that wave recedes, fleshed out with soft-hit toms and keys, the track is perhaps most reminiscent indeed of an echo — an atmospheric impression rather than a fully structured statement of its own, something intended to set a mood and feel not only hypnotic with that guitar line repeating.

But the complement that follows with the arrival of “Ecliptic” is cinematic in a way King Buffalo have never attempted to be, with McVay taking on the task of setting a four-minute John Carpenter or Goblin-style bed of ’70s prog synthesizer, complete with an underlying pulse of a beat. Entirely instrumental, it is a clear experiment for the band — a way for them to grasp for something new in their sound as they’ve done on EPs in the past — but with the addition of what seems to be a fluidly-mixed wave of distorted guitar (it’s hard to tell after a certain point), there’s a way forward for them in terms of future integration of these elements with their already established modus.

That is, they’re not just throwing “Ecliptic” in without giving it some context; they’re hinting at what might be things to come as their evolution continues on their next full-length, whether you want to call it their third or fourth, after this. Sampled television or radio static — which used to actually be a thing, you know — underscores the point of interaction with soundtrack media and serves as a transition into the tense guitar line that opens “Eta Carinae.” Also proggier and more exacting in its central riff than some of King Buffalo‘s past work, it is in the Reynolds‘ bass that one most finds the groove holding sway even as Donaldson‘s snare provides steady pops along the way.

A subtle line of synth signals a change to a winding transition and the band are soon enough underway on a still-precise, plotted jam, with a lead and instrumental stretch bringing about a section of chug and the return of McVay‘s vocals, soon enough opening to a stretch of tension-release guitar soloing, but ending ultimately on that chugging riff, accompanied by a touch of synth before a sudden stop.

The title-track, which presses the words together to present as “DeadStar,” is a sweetly melodic four-minute piece based around acoustic guitar that still manages to bring all the pieces of the EP into one shared space, whether it’s the cosmic psych, the spaciousness, the weight of tone — which, yes, shows up — the synth and the vocal melody. McVay‘s presence as a frontman here is undeniable and perhaps a corresponding narrative along with the stylistic development of King Buffalo as a whole, but it’s important to note that the group remains balanced, and “DeadStar” shows this as well as it moves fluidly into its second and third minute, Reynolds smoothing out what might otherwise be stark shifts and Donaldson on the bell of his ride cymbal.

That King Buffalo should not only be toying with their aesthetic in these ways, but also finding solid footing as they do so probably shouldn’t be a surprise to listeners who’ve been exposed in the past to their songwriting, but it remains impressive all the same and it speaks to the quality of their work that seven years on from their demo, with multiple domestic and international tours behind and likely ahead of them — not to mention the specter of an always-pivotal third LP (if this isn’t it) looming on the horizon — that their potential should still resonate so vividly.

I’m a fan of their work, so if you need your grain of salt, take it, but I’ll bottom line this for you as best I can: King Buffalo are a special band. They’ve yet to put out a release that did not significantly bolster their reach, and their progression is met likewise by melodic growth and a consistency of songcraft that make their output all the more a joy to hear. They make it easy to open your mind and embrace new ideas, and if Dead Star is an EP, then it seems damn unlikely 2020 will see a better one.

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Ahead of kicking off a round of touring with The Sword, King Buffalo have posted an 18-show bootleg collection for free public consumption. As I recall watching their performance as it happened at Freak Valley 2019 — I was at Maryland Doom Fest at the time, but with the time difference it worked — and being stunned by it on multiple levels, I immediately went there first. Needless to say, it holds up.

All the links are posted on their website direct to a Google Drive file, so you can stream or download from there as you will. King Buffalo will release their new EP, Dead Star, on March 20, and I hear tell that it might be streaming here a couple days before. Because the truth is King Buffalo are probably too cool for this site at this point, but they either don’t know it yet or are too nice to tell me to screw off when I asked. I’ll take it in any case, keeping my expectations reasonable as regards whatever they do next. One doesn’t want to take advantage.

Some calendar jumbling to do, but I’m hoping to catch them on this run at some point:

We’ve just added 18 shows from 2019 to our Bootleg Series! Download them all for FREE at kingbuffalo.com/bootlegs.

Come be a part of our Bootlegs for 2020…
?3/19 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground?
?3/20 Boston, MA @ Great Scott?
?3/21 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge?
?3/26 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar?
?3/27 Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo?
?3/28 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry?
?3/29 Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre?
?3/31 Calgary, AB @ Palomino?
?4/2 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret?
?4/3 Seattle, WA @ Barboza?
?4/4 Seattle, WA @ Barboza?
?4/5 Portland, OR @ Lola’s Room?
?4/7 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill?
?4/8 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo?
?4/10 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge?
?4/11 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge?
?4/13 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room?
?4/14 St Louis, MO @ Duck Room?
?4/15 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar?
?4/16 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern?
?4/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café?
?4/18 Syracuse, NY @ Funk N Waffles?
?5/9 Springfield, MO @ Mother’s Brewing?
?5/14 Northampton, MA @ The Parlor Room?
?5/15 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom?
?6/5 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground?
?6/11 Grand Rapids, MI @ Elevation +?
?6/12 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre +?
?6/13 Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue +?
?6/25 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place +?
?6/26 Ashbury Park, NJ @ Wonder Bar?
?6/27 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery?
?7/1 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle +?
?+ w/ The Sword

King Buffalo is:
Sean McVay – Guitar, Vocals, & Synth
Dan Reynolds – Bass & Synth
Scott Donaldson – Drums & Percussion

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King Buffalo, “Red Star Pt. 2” official video

When King Buffalo put out their early-2018 EP Repeater (review here) ahead of their second full-length, Longing to Be the Mountain (review here), it was an opportunity for the Rochester trio to explore new ideas and adventure into what at the time was new sonic terrain for the band. To try new things and introduce their audience to the same. It smoothed the transition between 2016’s Orion (review here) and the follow-up LP, and complemented both works.

Their new “short release,” Dead Star, is more substantial. As in, it’s 36 minutes long. From where I sit, that’s an album one way or the other, and certainly the flow of its six tracks bears that out as well. But the function is similar to Repeater in that King Buffalo once again embrace their creative drive in an open and exciting way. The six songs of Dead Star are thrillingly progressive, taking on aspects of synth and new textures and atmospheres that enrich the band’s core melodies and grooves so as to broaden their scope and make them all the more engrossing. Beginning with the 16-minute pair “Dead Star Pt. 1 & 2,” and running through the finale closing track, Dead Star works to push the boundaries of expectation of what King Buffalo can accomplish as a band, and thereby accomplishes them as well.

Preorders go up later this week, and they’ve got tour dates and a track streaming as of next week. Official release of Dead Star is March 20 and I’m hoping to have more to come as we get closer to then.

In the meantime, here’s a press release I kind of wrote:

King Buffalo Announce their 4th EP “Dead Star” and 2020 Tour Dates

King Buffalo will release their fourth EP, Dead Star, on March 20. The widely-hailed progressive heavy rock trio from Western New York will stream the single “Eta Carinae” Jan. 28 from the six-song, 36-minute release now via Bandcamp with preorders available at kingbuffalo.bigcartel.com on Jan. 24. Extensive tour dates will follow.

Their most brazenly experimental offering to-date, Dead Star will self-release throughout North America and see European issue via Stickman Records.

Self-recorded in late 2019 and early 2020 by guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson, Dead Star continues to push King Buffalo’s psychedelic aspects deep into the cosmic ether, and basks in elements of ambient drone, space rock, prog, mantra-style heavy and synthesizer soundtracking, as well as the bluesy, classic riffing and creative urgency that has underscored their particular style since their 2013 demo and 2016 debut album, Orion. A depth of mix comes courtesy of Grant Husselman, while Bernie Matthews mastered.

“In the early stages of Dead Star, we made the decision to make a strong commitment to experimentation,” explains guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay. “From exploring different time signatures, tunings and textures, to tweaking the song writing processes themselves. We’re extremely proud of these recordings, and feel it’s some of our most ambitious work yet.”

King Buffalo’s discography includes two full-length albums, Orion (2016) and Longing to Be the Mountain (2018), as well as three prior EPs – 2013’s Demo, a 12” split with Le Bétre in 2015, and 2018’s Repeater.

Dead Star continues the risk-taking that fueled Repeater, honoring the core dynamic of King Buffalo as a band while boldly introducing new ideas and sides of their sound to their audience.

Recent years have found King Buffalo touring throughout North America and Europe, with highlight festival performances, support slots and headlining shows, and they bring that experience to the songwriting of Dead Star’s six tracks, be it the sprawling two-part leadoff “Red Star Pt. 1 & 2” or the John Carpenter-esque instrumental “Ecliptic” ahead of the chug-and-crash-prone “Eta Carinae.” All the while King Buffalo maintain a flow and atmosphere that has served as a hallmark of their approach.

“These six songs deviate and expand on horizons that we as King Buffalo haven’t yet reached,” says drummer Scott Donaldson, who also handled the graphic layout of Dead Star with Ryan T. Hancock’s striking cover art. “It’s extremely exciting to make something familiar, but unlike anything we’ve previously done. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

Vinyl Details:

Test Press – Limited to 20, hand numbered, and ship mid-February. Includes a download code of the Deluxe version, poly bag, a signed “thank you” from the band with wax seal, an exclusive poster and hand numbered insert.

Deluxe Edition – Limited to 250 units and pressed to 12″ Black and White Vinyl. The Deluxe Edition includes a polybag, a hand numbered insert, and audio commentary by the band. A One-Time Only pressing. They’ll be shipped as soon as mid-March.

Standard Edition – Limited to 750 units and pressed to 12″ Bone White Vinyl. They include a polybag and download code.

Written and recorded by King Buffalo in Rochester, NY at the Main Street Armory in December of 2019 & January 2020.

All arrangements by King Buffalo (c) 2019
Produced & Engineered by Sean McVay
Mixed by Grant Husselman
Mastered by Bernie Matthews
Artwork by Ryan T Hancock
Fonts by Mike Turzanski
Layout by Scott Donaldson

Dead Star Track list:
Red Star Pt. 1
Red Star Pt. 2
Echo of a Waning Star
Ecliptic
Eta Carinae
Dead Star

Tour Dates:
1/31 Montreal, QC @ Le Ministere
2/1 Ottawa, ON @ Dominion Tavern
3/19 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
3/20 Boston, MA @ Great Scott
3/21 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
3/26 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
3/27 Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo
3/28 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
3/29 Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre
3/31 Calgary, AB @ Palomino
4/2 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
4/3 Seattle, WA @ Barboza
4/5 Portland, OR @ Lola’s Room
4/7 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
4/8 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
4/10 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
4/11 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
4/13 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
4/14 St Louis, MO @ Duck Room
4/15 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
4/16 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
4/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
4/18 Syracuse, NY @ Funk N Waffles

King Buffalo is:
Sean McVay – Guitar, Vocals, & Synth
Dan Reynolds – Bass & Synth
Scott Donaldson – Drums & Percussion

kingbuffalo.com
facebook.com/kingbuffaloband
instagram.com/kingbuffaloband
kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com
stickman-records.com
facebook.com/Stickman-Records-1522369868033940

King Buffalo, Longing to be the Mountain (2018)