Welcome to our monthly series on new Colorado music. Each month we mark five local musicians, five local music videos and five local songs. Click here to view previous entries in the series. Are you a Denver artist with fresh music that you would love for us to see? Send to [email protected] for consideration.
It’s officially July, which means it’s just a few weeks before Denver’s favorite summer music festival – The Underground Music Showcase – returns. While this year’s lineup features some not-to-be-missed national acts, the true stars of the weekend will always be the local favorites that show up and show off for a weekend of straight debauchery. While we may not be able to move on to UMS anytime soon, we can help satisfy your desire for local music with this month’s edition of new local music featuring popular locales that you do not want to miss at UMS and rising acts that continue will keep the local scene fresh even after UMS weekend comes to an end.
Be sure to check out their playlist below and don’t forget to follow 303 Magazines and like our New Colorado Music Playlist on Spotify.
Five Up and Coming Local Acts
Annie Booth Sextet
Listen if you like Wildflower Trio To see also : The Bristol Riverside Theater announces the Summer Music Fest series.
Following the 2017 release of a five-track EP, Annie Booth Sextett has largely released singles. Until this year, the local jazz band has already released three singles for their full-length album Aspenglow, which was released just last month. The album draws on the expertise of renowned trumpeter Greg Gisbert and alto saxophone player Anita Rush to combine with the talent and skill of a whole host of other local jazz musicians as Annie Booth leads the sextet with her piano through eight jazzy instruments.
Hollow Head
Listen if you like Donovan Woods On the same subject : All policy should be local – and the answer (3).
Transplants from Michigan, the duo behind Hollow Head recently introduced not only the Denver music scene, but the music world as a whole with the release of their debut album A Spark of Madness. The genre-blending album finds its sound firmly rooted in the sounds of alternative and folk, while rock elements and indie sentiments find their home in harmonies and invite listeners to delve deeper into the album.
Lauren Frihauf
While Lauren Frihauf just released her fourth single last month, she has already caught the attention of not only the local music scene but national television audience. A candidate in season 19 of the NBC hit show “The Voice,” the Colorado native received praise from Blake Shelton before her prime-time experience came to an end. This may interest you : Danette Mitchell: The Power and Promise of Black Music. While Frihauf’s discography may be small, it’s going to grow significantly with the release of an EP later this month – and from there, the sky’s the limit for Frihauf.
Luke Klifman
Local singer-songwriter Luke Klifman released quiet singles last year – and he and his band have not slowed down since they started. Klifman’s music blends Americana and folk with outlaw country guitar notes and soft indie vocals, creating a sound that is ultimately comforting and familiar without sounding boring or old.
2nd Brightest Star
2nd Brightest Object is a project of a girl from here in Mile High. The multi-instrumentalist mixes lo-fi rhythms with tuned beats and layers her ethereal vocals over the top of everything, creating something very unique.
Five New Local Songs
Isadora Eden – “Lost Cause”
Listen if you like Emma Ruth Rundle
Isadora Eden has quietly collaborated with various artists, such as “Cut Your Hair”, who saw Eden alongside a local local act, Bellhoss. But her latest single, “Lost Cause”, sees her collaborate with a yet to be discovered Dean Rogers. On the single, Eden’s melancholic lyrics intensify their impact with ethereal and enthusiastic Shoegaze instruments.
Adiel Mitchell – “Pink Lemonade”
Adiel Mitchell is no stranger to the Denver music scene. Far from it. He has spent the last decade in places throughout the city, sharing stages with big national names and fellow local acts. Last month, the R&B singer-songwriter added another tribute to his resume with the release of his studio debut, Pink Lemonade, paired with a sold-out release show in Lost Lake.
Johnny Day – “Every Beer Every Bar”
Born in northern Colorado, and sometimes still a resident where he works in the oil field, Johnny Day gives a lesson in the popular modern country with his single, “Every Beer Every Bar”, which is the latest release from his debut album. The song carefully sees the scene that day, a bar – or really, “any bar” – as he pulls over guitar-driven instruments that lead the song forward.
Gestalt – “Faster!”
There is something special about Denver-based design. But this has long been obvious. The four-piece has talent and spades, but that’s not what sets it apart from other indie and old groups in the local scene. Gestalt has a distinctive voice with familiar genre roots. And while their sound has evolved over time, their latest release, RIGHT ON TIME, proves that they have never lost the essence of their sound. Tracks like “Caffeine” show a familiar and comfortable indie groove while tracks like “Faster!” captures the fun and frenzied energy of their live stage presence.
The Barlow – “Bad ‘Ol Days”
With the release of their third album, New Year, Old Me, The Barlow came to its own place. The twang of the guitar takes the album forward, while the four-piece country outfit weaves stories about life and grows older without compromising who you are.
Five New Local Music Videos
The Dangerous Summer – “Coming Home”
Listen if you like this Wild Life
The Dangerous Summer has been relatively quiet since they came to the local music scene two years ago. But that changed this year, with the band announcing that they had signed with Rude Records, quickly followed by two new single releases. One of these releases is “Coming Home”, accompanied by a music video that rockes The Dangerous Summer in the Desert as the clouds roll overhead.
i.O. Underground – “Once In a Lifetime”
Listen if you like X Ambassadors
A video for the last released single by i.O. Underground’s next sophomore EP Once In a Lifetime features alternative rockers jamming under soft lighting. Relieved in the song with vocal harmonies, the Denver-based trio effortlessly falls into the first verse before the chorus picks up and turns the song into its next verse.
Dougie Rew – “Rocketship”
Dougie Rew has been making music at Fort Collins for the past two years, though he is largely unremarkable by the great Colorado music scene. But with an impressive discography for a relatively new local act and powerfully influenced music videos like the one recently released for “Rocketship,” Dougie Rew probably won’t be flying under the radar for long.
Bleak Mystique – “Let’s Pretend”
Bleak Mystique visits childhood in their latest music video, which features two children playing throughout the house while the band performs in a dark room under colorful blobs. The song begins with a bright scene with an equally bright and happy beat, and when the song briefly goes away from its fast-paced beats and peppy beats, they are only briefly replaced by rock-driven guitar riffs before the tone changes once again.
Bolonium – “Happy Go Lucky Me”
“Whatever happens to the happy me?” Singer and accordionist Richard Taylor raises questions about Bolonium’s latest single. And while the question echoes a feeling that many of us may feel in another summer of social and political unrest, fortunately bands like Bolonium still find ways to put smiles on the faces of local music fans. In question is a general loss of joy and stability in their latest music video, the duo playing Bolonium bob and Groove as they perform with their cardboard instruments.
