Welcome to BUHU: the guys who throw everything at life and don’t expect anything back. Or as they say, “Welcome to the hyper, fantastical reality that is born out of summer love between 80’s babies and online thrift store junkies.” You can’t make this stuff up. Self-described as post-pop/electronic/dance rock, these four create something edging on a descent into madness. Perhaps there’s something in the water in Austin, Texas, but there is definitely something going on here that I cannot entirely wrap my head around. Let’s start at the top.
BUHU has created something not commonly done in the indie scene, which they call a 4-Track Cinemat: four songs, all filmed and recorded at the same time. In this way, both the visual and the music are tied together intrinsically, and you cannot experience one without the other. Band member Jeremy Rogers pointed out the intensity of this process, explaining “when you see me getting a tattoo, that was actually happening while JP was recording that synth bass line.” Now THAT is commitment to the creative process!
The first tune, “GLTRSKL,” is the most approachable video, and also one of the best songs on the EP. It starts out solid – and continues that way – in line with other progressive indie bands today. The vocals remind me of Bear Hands, a great example of distorted melodies and stretching of the alt rock sound. It’s catchy, with great guitar effects and an upbeat feel. The visuals are playful, with bright florescent colors and confetti; a pretty normal and put-together music video for a bunch of guys that like to hang out and make music together.
The next song, “Get Down,” is where things get weird. The music gets a little funkier and more electronic, definitely danceable while retaining that bit of rock, but there is a girl sitting in every shot with a cat head on. The singer is covered in post it notes, the guitarist is in the middle of a tree grove and then sits a bathtub amidst lots of trippy lighting, and watching the video becomes more about what random thing happens next than the music. Yet “Get Down” accomplishes exactly what the title says: it gets down! It’s ridiculously fun and actually my favorite song of BUHU. This song and the first are great tunes.
In “Youth is Breaking,” they slow things down a bit, but the cat-girl remains. The singer is wrapped in holiday lights. The cat carries a disco ball while riding in a car. I imagine if they got into jamming “Youth is Breaking” it would go places. Then in “LSD (You’re My Best Friend),” they take a pretty obvious approach and play up having a trip, complete with falling into a magically huge trash can and black light overdose, the ridiculous cat acting ramps up with the guitarist now wearing a cycling jersey for no apparent reason, all while BUHU plays a song that repeats like the last one, but with a faster pace. While the first two songs were about the music, these last two songs seem to be a bit more about the videos, and are quite comical.
There is something in “GLTRSKL” and “Get Down” that has a ridiculous amount of potential and the other two songs are more just about the ridiculous videos. I think I might be jealous of how much fun everyone in BUHU is having, because honestly, these guys are ridiculously excited about life.
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Kelsey also runs The Aural Premonition, which we love!