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What started as two friends playing covers on a couch at Montana State University has turned into more than 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners and an almost completely sold-out tour. Buffalo Traffic Jam is made up of bandmates Frankie Cassidy and Nathan Ross, who bonded over a mutual love for music.

“We had never really played music together until our late junior or senior year of college,” Cassidy said. “We both played guitar, and we’d just do covers on the couch.”

As the two spent more time playing together, those casual jam sessions slowly turned into something more intentional. What began as covering songs for fun became an outlet for experimenting, writing, and discovering their own sound. Without pressure or long-term plans, Cassidy and Ross realized their chemistry extended beyond covers and into original music.

“I had a couple of songs that I wrote and brought to Nate, and he put some guitar licks on them,” Cassidy said. “But the first song we ever wrote together was ‘Rescue Me’ in our freezing-cold garage in Montana.”

That moment marked the beginning of a bond that would take the duo across the globe. Their upcoming single, “I Don’t Care,” sits in the space between heartbreak and peace.

“We decided to write a breakup song where everything feels like it’s falling apart at the beginning,” Cassidy explained, “but then you find peace in yourself.”

The single opened the door to new creative perspectives, shaping a more modern sound than their previous releases.

“I think this song has a pretty new sound compared to most of our already released music,” Ross said. “I was excited to have something that just feels a little different.”

As their audience has grown, so has their creative process.

“Now we’ve really grown into inviting other people into the room and collectively writing songs,” Cassidy said. “They’re still very personal experiences, but it’s cool being able to share those moments with others.”

A recurring, unintentional theme runs through Buffalo Traffic Jam’s music: finding peace within struggle. Their recent EP, Take Me Home, ties its six tracks together through that shared message, including Cassidy’s favorite song, “Comfort in Misery.”

“I really like that one because the message is that maybe you won’t fully get through your internal struggle,” he said, “but you can still find a way to feel comfort in your misery. That’s kind of the manifesto of the EP we put out this fall.”

2025 proved to be a milestone year for the duo, but 2026 may be even bigger. With sold-out shows across Europe and the United States and their new single dropping Jan. 16, Buffalo Traffic Jam’s rise shows no signs of slowing down.

“The first tour we did, it was just me and Frank,” Ross said. “Now it’s going to be completely different with the full band. I’m really excited to make it a real show.”

Score your tickets to see Buffalo Traffic Jam in 2026 here: https://www.buffalotrafficjam.com/