ALBUM REVIEW: Holus Bolus – Lord Buffalo

Originally from Austin, Texas, LORD BUFFALO paint an incredibly atmospheric picture with their unique blend of Americana, gothic psychedelia and dark folk. Their 2020 debut album Tohu Wa Bohu was a rich blend of a range of influences, mixed to create a deeply cinematic record that landed them support slots with the likes of ELDER And CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL on their subsequent road trips. The title of the band’s second album, Bolus Holuscomes from an old-fashioned 19th-century expression meaning “all at once,” an apt name given the diversity of musical styles showcased across the album’s seven haunting tracks. The phrase suggests a bit of disorder, however, and this record is anything but.

From the title track, we immediately feel the dark side of America hidden beneath the distorted Wurlitzer-style keyboards that invite us in from the dusty porch. The suspended, reverb-heavy guitars and percussive tom rhythms that follow welcome us further into the album. LORD BUFFALOThe expansive, creaky house. The music, like the soundtracks of Angelo Badalamenti And Ennio Morriconeinstantly evokes the vast landscapes of the American West. The frontman’s gothic-tinged voice Daniel Pruitt recall Nick Cave and fit perfectly with the soundtrack, equal parts singing and growling. By the time Patrick PattersonThe ethereal violin of s’invites itself for the chorus, we are well and truly at home here, a glass of something indescribable in our hands as we slowly swing on the back porch and gaze at the endless night sky. And, all the while, in our peripheral vision, something dark, shifting and shadowy slowly approaches the horizon.

This feeling of unease is one that rises and falls brilliantly throughout this album, which truly feels more and more cinematic with each song. Second instrumental track Slow drug immediately follows the opening track, dark, droning guitars and percussive piano intertwine with the repetitive patterns of bass drum and tambourine and build to a hypnotic crescendo. It’s a song that suggests that the drink we were offered upon arrival was perhaps mixed with something a little more stimulating than we expected.

Passing joy is perhaps a more straightforward slice of dark American folk than what has been said before, but is no less enjoyable or interesting for that. The vocal harmonies on the chorus add another layer of atmosphere to the song and PruittThe performance here, in equal parts gloomy Ian McCulloch and boasting Michael Hutchenceelevates it even further. The fact that the band can create such a deep, dark atmosphere without ever really resorting to all their overdrive pedals is a true testament to LORD BUFFALOThe talent of.

Malpaisano takes us once again to the Texas desert, all distant feedback and twang basslines while the lyrical delivery here is like Jim Morrison at its most poetic, although it is much darker than anything THE DOORS never recorded. The instrumentation builds and freezes into a howling, mournful beat of synths and guitars that is both beautiful and frightening.

I wait on the door slab is a swaying, biting piece of music that balances floating synths and beautiful vocal harmonies with piercing, distorted guitars and violins and a bubbling threat of violence that only comes closer and closer to the surface as the song reaches its chaotic folk-doom coda. Despite the darkness, it’s a strangely catchy track that only gets better with each listen. Album Closures Cracks in the Vermeer And Rowing in Eden take a more epic approach, with the first starting as a slowed-down version of METALLICA‘s The Unforgivenwhile the latter is a seven-minute instrumental drone that, once again, oozes atmosphere and builds towards a mysterious and unsettling climax.

Like the soundtrack of a David Lynch project that has not yet seen the light of day, Bolus Holus is a haunting and nostalgic piece of music that draws on the darkest parts of American history and folklore to create an extremely rewarding cinematic experience. LORD BUFFALO welcome you into their dark home, you will have difficulty finding the exit.

Rating: 9/10

Holus Bolus will be released on July 12th via Blues Funeral Recordings.

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