Lemuria

Buffalo, New York, is kind of a weird scene. It's given us both hardcore hellions Polar Bear Club and pop-punk pansies Cute Is What We Aim For. However, Lemuria doesn't fall into either category. The trio — which is led by vocalist/guitarist Sheena Ozzella and vocalist/drummer Alex Kerns — combines a whole host of influences primarily lifted from the mid-'90s, including shoegaze, twee, flowery indie-pop and a smidgen of Lookout! Records-era pop-punk. The band recently replaced bassist (and Canadian citizen) Kyle Paton, who ran into immigration problems, with Texas native Max Gregor, but Lemuria's live presence has remained the same: weirdly detached from the audience, even though kids will occasionally even stage dive and crowd-surf during songs.