Buffalo Nichols - “You’re Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…J.S. Ondara, Leon Bridges, Son Little

Swampy and smothered in Americana and blues grit, Buffalo Nichols’ sophomore record The Fatalist is a notably darker offering from the Milwaukee-based artist. Deep delta riffs glide along a spacious plane on The Fatalist, a record that adds synths and drum machines strategically in a way that emboldens the traditions underneath rather than fights against it. Since he’s got a subtle touch, this musical retrofitting doesn’t display as bold as it really is. Buffalo Nichols is a blues artist, but even more than that, he’s a boundary pusher in a genre with old, thick walls. (Kevin McStravick)

2022 Review: An authentic bluesman gifted with a rich and textured vocal, Buffalo Nichols strikes hard and poignantly with just an acoustic, slide guitar, and his stories in hand. Nichols’ style recalls blues and Americana founding sounds rather than progressive influences throughout his debut, self-titled full-length. The minimal setting emboldens the music, letting hints of box percussion build subtle tension, finger-picking grace providing the complexity, and Nichols’ low, rumbling vocal tackle the heart. His songwriting plays around down-on-your-luck loss and hope, always feeling personal while still following classic blues storytelling patterns.