Coming to the indie-rock scene from Oxford, Mississippi, Young Buffalo dropped their debut album, House, this month. The band consists of Jim Barrett on guitar and vocals, Ben Yarbrough on guitar and vocals, Tim Burkhead on drums and vocals, Andrew Guinn on bass, and Will Eubanks. The group has been together since their teens and have previously released two EPs, Young Von Prettylips (2011) and the self titled Young Buffalo (2012), but House is their first full album with it’s 11 tracks.
All of the songs are characterized by the interesting harmonies of the three vocalists singing at once and up-beat, rhythmic drumming. “Man In Your Dreams” opens up the album with a catchy guitar riff and a catchier tune. While the whole album just screams happy, summertime jam, there is quite a diversity in the sound of their songs. “Cliff Diver”, “Summertime Blondes”, and “My Place” are very chill and dreamy, they rely more on the vocals to carry the songs, while “Man In Your Dreams”, “No Idea”, and “Sykia” have a lot more plinky piano melodies, constant drums, and guitar riffs. The slowest song on the album is the closing track, “Beat Back”, which feels like a sleepy drive home on a long road trip or a nostalgic goodbye.
Though the content of the songs can be some what lost among the drawn out vocals, you can find uplifting and relatable lyrics to go along with the uplifting tone. “It’s not about the journey/ what do you think is the hurry/ you can take all the time that you need” from “No Idea” reminds us that it’s okay to not have everything figured out and “Summertime Blondes” asks us “if you change for all the wrong people, who are you pleasing”. Basically, it’s hard not to smile while listening to Young Buffalo.
The entire album is on Spotify, and you can listen to them on Soundcloud. Young Buffalo is also currently on tour and they will be here in Dallas at Club Dada on April 17th.