Holus Bolus

Genres tend to be convenient reference points, or horrible crutches, when it comes to music. In the case of longtime AMM favorite Lord Buffalo, “psych Americana” pops up from time to time, while the AMM has used “desert rock” to describe the darkened terrain that Lord Buffalo evokes with every mesmerizing arrangement. But no easy descriptor truly, meaningfully captures Lord Buffalo’s sonic odyssey.

The title of their latest LP Holus Bolus, out Friday via Blues Funeral Recordings, is from antiquated text loosely translated into “all at once,” which is on the mark when it comes to the Austin quartet’s powerful instrumental and vocal approach. This time, as violin, guitars and percussion amalgamate in a dramatic build, you’re stunned into sound surrounding the senses that’s possessed by something murky – yet oddly optimistic.

“While the making of this record feels a bit like a sleep-deprived hallucination to me, listening to it now, I find it strangely hopeful — there’s a kind of release that you hit in exhaustion,” says songwriter/vocalist Daniel Pruitt. “I think the record knew what it was after, even if we didn’t. It felt very much like the record just appeared one day, holus bolus.”

Lord Buffalo’s album release show is tonight, Thursday July 11 at The 13th Floor. Doors at 8 p.m., and the line-up features Austin-based drone doom duo Cortege, and Santa Fe instrumental outfit Holy Garden District.