By Dustin Lothspeich

With a band name like Buddy Banter, you’d think things would be all about fun and games — and you’d be right. While I don’t place much stock in the existential “what does it all mean?”’ queries about band names and the thought process that goes into titling music projects, hearing this local indie rock trio’s moniker always conjures up images of high-fives, pizza parties and good ol’ shenanigans. I’m not the only one.

“We have fun,” singer/drummer Steven Oira said. “We are best friends; we still dick around.”

For those not yet part of the Buddy system, the group (which includes Dylan O’Bosky on bass and Kevin Glenn on guitar, in addition to Oira) has been around since mid-2012, even if it was in name only. According to their frontman, it all took flight with simply a guitar and a bass drum.

“I wrote about a recent heartbreak,” Oira said. “And my friends liked it, so I asked them to help me with the music live. Now, shit, everyone is down to tour and have a blast.”

Well that escalated quickly. Truth be told, all three lads in the band have been at the whole music game for a minute now, with Oira most notably helming the drum kit (which he plays standing up, curiously enough) for local surf/pop band Mrs. Magician for a while, in addition to playing in an emo band called American Heart (which found some label success between 2003 and 2008). Buddy Banter, though, sounds like neither.

On their upcoming EP, “I Am Nothing,” Oira and company stretch out from their previous two efforts, the most excellent “Paradise Thrillz” and “Bummer Summer” EPs, with some of their heaviest — and softest — material to date. The band’s sound has always been centered on extreme melody, the kind that eats its way into your brain and finds its way out in early mornings and late night drives. Their songs are sticky, swirling collages of hearty pop gusto and rollicking tempos, with Oira’s wandering vocals belting out lyrics that consistently betray a genuine sense of regret, longing, and at the bottom of it all, hope.

If Buddy Banter started out as way for Oira to exorcise failed relationship demons, it sounds like he’s still at it. However, he insists there’s a certain sense of comfort and calm at the root of the EP’s title (and title track).

“It’s my favorite song on the album because it’s moody,” the singer/drummer explained. “‘I am nothing’ is something I tell myself every day to help find nirvana and peace.”

Indeed, the track is the perfect embodiment of that introspective element, an instrumental dirge of synthy waves and hypnotizing guitar and a spoken word recording of Charles Bukowski reading his poem, “The Laughing Heart,” that partially reads:

“There is a light somewhere.
It may not be much light but
It beats the darkness.
Be on the watch.
The gods will offer you chances.
Know them.
Take them.”

It’s a fitting selection for the band to use. Whatever chances Buddy Banter have, they’re certainly making the most of them. They’ve been up and down the West Coast on several self-booked tours, recorded and released their own albums, and self-funded their music videos, with more on the way. “I Am Nothing” and its upcoming record release show at Soda Bar on May 22 with Ditches and Witness 9 is just the latest step in their journey.

“[‘I Am Nothing’] is different for us, because change is constant,” Oira said. “We’re pushing our limits musically, exploring new sounds and other ways of writing. It’s a team effort. We make music that we like and we like to be versatile, even though we know we don’t really fit with any scene.”

While the singer acknowledges that “getting a record deal would be cool,” they’ll keep on keepin’ on because at the end of the day, the three buds of Buddy Banter are best friends — and they’re still having fun.

—Dustin Lothspeich is a music writer in San Diego. Contact him at [email protected].