The Buttertones

The Buttertones are a Los Angeles rock band whose sound draws on surf rock, garage rock, doo-wop and post-punk, often described by the members themselves in cinematic terms — horror, thriller, drama — rather than musical genre labels. Bassist Sean Redman met singer Richard Araiza and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Modeste «Cobi» Cobián at music school, and the trio formalized the band soon after, later adding guitarist Dakota Böttcher and saxophonist/keyboardist London Guzmán to round out the lineup.

The band built its reputation through a steady run of releases that leaned into vintage rock and roll textures updated with a darker, moodier edge — reverb-heavy guitars, saxophone flourishes and Araiza's crooning delivery recalling 1950s and 60s rock while staying rooted in a modern garage sensibility. Songs like «Matador», «Dionysus» and «Orpheus Under The Influence» show the group's fondness for mythological and dramatic imagery layered over tight, danceable arrangements.

Within the broader revival of retro-leaning rock acts, The Buttertones stand out for treating each release almost like a film with its own genre and mood, giving their catalog a theatrical throughline. Their live shows and recordings have earned them a following among fans of surf and garage revival scenes on the West Coast.