It happens every year. We spend 300-plus days tracking down, listening to, and evaluating as much new Milwaukee-made music as we can. We then painstakingly consider and assemble our annual list of our “favorite Milwaukee music” from that given year. We post it sometime in early December. And without fail, we learn about an exceptional release a week or two later that—if we were aware of it earlier or had enough time to sit with it—should have absolutely made the list.
This year’s accidental omission is Buena Cara. The self-titled debut album by the Milwaukee emo trio quietly came out on December 1. Though the self-described “sad boys” that make “rad noise” formally announced its existence with its How Sweet It Was EP in May 2020, the band’s latest embodies pretty much everything the project has managed to this point. Included in the 12-track, nearly 40-minute album are all four songs from Buena Cara’s aforementioned EP, as well as its 2021 “Security Cameras” single (now called “Secure”).
Though five of the full-length’s offerings can be found on previous releases, each revisited song is improved upon, both with higher quality recordings and through noticeable instrumental/vocal adjustments that no doubt come with four years of artistic evolution and live show workshopping. Those demos-turned-fully-realized songs are further bolstered with new material that helps carry the LP to higher ground. In all, seven previously unreleased songs showcase the band’s ongoing growth and development.
Lead single “Rippin’ Head” opens and closes with I Think You Should Leave clips, and between those momentary sound bites from “The Driving Crooner,” Buena Cara unleashes a torrent of intricate guitars and gang-shouted vocals vaguely reminiscent of PUP. “St. Cloud” is a far less problematic modern alternative to Brand New. Fans of emo-leaning Midwest outfits like Tiny Moving Parts, American Football, and Braid might also appreciate the oh-so-subtle nods in their general vicinity that could be detected at various points of the effort.
Though its occasionally paying homage—whether unconsciously or otherwise—to some established emo-adjacent elders, Buena Cara is also fashioning its own identity through dazzling guitar work, a driving rhythm section, and beyond-its-years lyrical perspective. The band might have released one of the last Milwaukee-made albums of 2024, but it’s also among the city’s best records of the year. Before Friday night’s release show at Cactus Club, you should listen to Buena Cara on Bandcamp (or your preferred streaming service) now.
