Meet BUFFOUT: New Jersey’s Next Must-Hear Post-Hardcore Band

Photo provided by BUFFOUT

The first time our ears were lucky enough to hear the band BUFFOUT, we were instantly thrown into a sound that we know and love.

We immediately caught Title Fight vibes, a sound we will forever long for. Under the wide umbrella of post-hardcore, we were instantly thrown into a nostalgic basement-punk vibe, a sound that is sonically bruising in the best way you could even imagine. With vocals that rip right through you, an instrumental burst of energy, and the ability to take their sound to softer levels that deliver nothing but raw feeling, BUFFOUT is a band that you need to keep up with. We caught up with their frontman to help introduce you all to one of our new favorite bands. 

BUFFOUT has been officially killing it in the New Jersey underground scene since 2023, with Mikey, whose raw vocals lead the band (he technically started the project in 2017), Owen and Rupa’s guitar friction fleshes out the lineup, Joey on the bass, and Jeremy on the drums, both keeping the tunes in check. 

“BUFFOUT started technically in my junior year of high school because at first I was writing everything myself and actually put out a whole album, which was super cool cuz it was like 4 years of just stuff I thought was cool in one thing, but I wouldn’t say BUFFOUT actually became a real band till 2023 once my friends joined in.” They were all buds before the band became official. “I met my friend Joey (he’s the handsome bass player) in 2022 at a Citizen show, and we started to hang out outside of the show setting, and just clicked, and he was down to do it with me. I also got my close friend Owen, who was my roommate in college, to hop in, my friend Jordan, who I met through Joey, and my friend Jeremy, who I met through a couple of house shows I went to.” A lineup change then took place, and Rupa stepped in. “Jordan parted ways from the band to focus on his teaching career, and we got our really good friend Rupa to hop in, and that’s been the lineup for over a year now.” 

After Mikey's friends joined the band, the group became even tighter. “I feel like we definitely did grow closer because what else are you gonna do with people you're stuck with in a van for long drives.” All jokes aside, their closeness is evident. “All I really know is I don’t know who I’d be or where I’d be without these guys. They mean the world to me and saw me through some trying times, and because of that, there will always be that love there.”

Having a full lineup really rounded out BUFFOUT, but with all good things, there comes challenges, “there always will be difficulties if you’re in a band because it’s so hard to get a small group of people to agree on one idea or thing completely, so that leads to arguing and misunderstandings, but at the end of the day we know we all love each other and want what’s best for the band no matter what.”

A cool fact about the project is that their name was inspired by a 16-year-old’s love of video games. Back in high school, Mikey came up with the name based on a piece of Fallout lore: “I chose the name BUFFOUT because I love the Fallout games, and there’s a drug you can take in the game called 'buffout' that lets you carry more stuff, so you can blow more stuff up, and the name sounded really cool to me at 16 years old.” Now? He looks at the name in a different light. “Over time, I feel like the name stands more for resilience and how much time, effort, and love we put into this project, and I think I like that meaning a bit more.. It’s sweeter.”

Inspirations incoming: What made Mikey want to pursue music? Thank Metallica. “I think for me it was when I got this shitty MP3 player from a claw machine when I was around 8, and my cousin, Justin, told me he knew how to get music on there and that he would do it for me. After that, I went home with it and realized he only put three songs on there, and they were 'Creeping Death' by Metallica, 'Bat Country' by Avenge Sevenfold, and 'A Bay Bay' by Hurricane Chris.” With the mix of songs and genres, what was the one that stuck with him the most? 'Creeping Death'.

Fast forward to the present day, as a band, BUFFOUT takes inspiration not only from Title Fight, but heavy-hitters Citizen and Basement. “I feel like we definitely have gotten more comfortable with trying to be a little more ‘us’ in our writing, but what that is, I don’t really know; it’s just whatever we think sounds good to us.” In our opinion, they’re hitting the nail on the head with their sound and filling in a gap that is needed in the underground scene with their tunes.

Mikey also mentioned their friends, shouting out Duel, Heavy Hand, Paralysis, XL Bully, Ballistix, Eric Raven, Insanity Plea, Still Feel Gone (who we just interviewed), Bliss Ritual, and a shout-out to Pat at RTF for keeping New Jersey Hardcore alive and well. The local scene has impacted Buffout tremendously, “all of NJHC, that whole community is the best and is truly so welcoming. They have made me feel so heard ever since I started going to shows, take this as a sign to go to your local scene shows: you will meet your best friends for life there.”

TOP8’s Take?

We really vibe with BUFFOUT, as huge fans of Title Fight ourselves, and that inspiration is really heard throughout their music. They have a grit about them that makes you want to keep listening to their tunes, plus their clean vocals are extremely well done (we're looking at you, 'Transparent Skin'). Bands like this are a truly exciting find; pure, raw talent seeps through what they do. We’re amped to see what comes next for them and more than eager for fresh tunes to add to our playlists. 

Some BUFFOUT songs we think you should check out:

1. Spite You

2. Back in the Saddle

3. Transparent Skin

   
   

Support your local scene, support the underground, support each other. You never know what you may find.