Scholars once proposed that a long-lost sunken continent in the Indian Ocean known as Lemuria was responsible for unexplainable fossil distribution patterns in India and Madagascar. In the era of modern plate tectonics, the theory has been long debunked, and the other Lemuria, the Buffalo, NY punk trio, remain similarly undiscovered. Lemuria seem perfectly comfortable in the underground scene – they’ve been around since 2004 filling up bars, art galleries, and coffee houses with their brand of sensitive aggression. Sonically, the group embodies the characteristics of a classic punk act while throwing typical punk song structure and confrontational lyrical themes out the window. While the band’s complex time signatures and unorthodox chord changes can be quite jarring at first, their juxtaposition with lead vocalist Sheena Ozella’s dainty vocals and sugar-pop hooks make for an interesting listen. On 2013’s release “The Distance is So Big”, Ozella sings of disappointment over a soundtrack of dissonant guitars and churning polyrhythms: “tired of tragedies being trumped / tired of romance being sung / tired of the past being hung, like a cinder block around my neck covering my heart up.” If you’re looking for experimentally-minded punk without the bombast of today’s reverb-drowned indie scene, Lemuria could be your style.
Fraumeni is a member of
the class of 2017.
