Brūha’s Vibrant Surf Pop Is Utterly Mosh-Pit Worthy

Less than two days after recording a live acoustic set at Hooked On Colfax, Brūha’s lead vocalist, Fabian Guerrero, sits mere feet away from where he sang the other night. He is helping his lead guitarist and cousin, Maxim Guerrero, design the poster for an upcoming tour — the next step in their mission to take over the world.

Although the surf-pop band is coming off of an exciting month in which it sold out the release show for its new EP and performed at Indie 102.3’s 303 Day concert, Brūha is already preparing for what comes next. 

“We’re a fully independent band, so I do the tour booking and planning all around,” Fabian explains. “It’s a heavy job but it’s worth it. When we’re on tour, it’s such a beautiful feeling.”

Fabian created the band in high school after he found representation in southern California’s music scene. “I would go on YouTube and watch all these different bands play… It’s mainly Latino [musicians] over there,” he says. “I had a love of music, so seeing another Mexican kid rocking and rolling was cool, you know? That inspired me to start the group.”

Fabian soon had his younger brother Nicolas Guerrero join the project as his drummer. Then, after a number of lineup changes, the brothers added Maxim as lead guitarist and their friend Christian Olson as bassist, solidifying their current formation. 

When Brūha’s new lineup released its first EP, H.E.X.D, in 2025, it didn’t take long for the world to notice that the band was not only here to dominate the Denver music scene, but to make it better. Fabian is often referred to as “the Mayor of Denver,” after all.

“The Denver music scene is a lot of folk or psych rock, and I love it, but I think Denver definitely needs a change,” Fabian says. “Recently, our sold out show proved to me that there’s a lot of people that do want that different flavor of rock. … It’s cool, because I never used to see mosh pits at local rock shows.”

Considering the high-octane summer sound of their newest EP, Growing Pains, moshing at Brūha shows seems inevitable. Each song successfully captures the beauty and pain of growing apart from old friends, played with such an inferno of concentrated energy and emotion that audiences simply must get up and dance their wistfulness away. 

Still, the production of the new EP did not come without adversity. “When we came back from tour, it was hard to settle back in… It was a growing pain for us,” Fabian says. “That was the story of all the songs…You know, growing is learning, and we learned from our last EP.”

Maxim agrees. “Growing Pains is an extension of [H.E.X.D], like a natural evolution.”

The ending of past relationships is a major theme throughout the EP, as seen right away with “Growing Pains,” the title track. “I feel like that one really represents us all well in our own craft,” Fabian says. “It’s telling a story of all these different friends you’ve seen… But you’re moving on and seeing what they became.”

“When we graduate high school, people just go and do their own thing. You can move on from your friends. You grow apart, and it hurts, but it’s good. It’s a growing pain,” Maxim adds. “I always hear compliments on the drums on that song, and I feel like it’s such a rare thing for people to point out. I think Nic wraps that song up very nicely.”

The rest of the EP continues to showcase the bandmembers’ growth as musicians, including the jolting adrenaline rush produced by Maxim’s guitar work on “Baby Blue” and Olson’s wistful bass groove accompanying Fabian’s anguished belting on “Locket.” The EP does not lose any momentum from there, providing chills and tears through the melancholy original version of the lead single “Hope” — aptly titled “Hope(less)” — and the heartwrenching farewell portrayed in “Cold”.

Beyond Brūha’s upcoming show at Globe Hall on Saturday, March 28, fans can look forward to more concerts throughout the year, including a special performance in October. Halloween is the group’s favorite holiday, especially since ‘Bruja’ is the Spanish word for ‘Witch’.

The band also aims to promote other creatives through Fantasma, a new collective designed to help young artists develop their skills. “There are a lot of talented people out here in Denver, but a lot of them are scared to show their talents,” Fabian says. “If I can share [my] confidence and that Brūha power name with our homies, I would love to take over the world with them.”

From learning the ins and outs of music production to a variety of haphazard tour stories, Brūha’s road has occasionally been a rocky one. However, the band has proven that they can face whatever comes next with high spirits and the determination to continue growing together. “Every time there was a problem, I had this thing I’d say,” Fabian recalls with a grin. “‘It’s just rock and roll.’”

Brūha will perform with Couch Dog and Liquid Chicken, 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28, Globe Hall, 4483 Logan Street. Get tickets at globehall.com.