The best new music releases from Colorado artists in July

Colorado bands and musicians turned up the heat in July with some hot releases. We got a family bluegrass affair from a familiar couple, moody alt-rock standalones and one of Denver’s preeminent metal groups made a big announcement with its first new music in three years.

For your listening pleasure, here are our favorite picks from Colorado musicians this month:

A.V.I.U.S. 
“Broken Pieces”  
Don’t call it a comeback, but Denver hip-hop veteran A.V.I.U.S. returns with his first single in over a decade by dropping “Broken Pieces,” released independently on July 21. Most known for his work with groups 3 The Hardway and Prime Element, A.V.I.U.S. seemingly hasn’t missed a beat, baring his pyroclastic flow and raw lyricism on the track as he openly reflects on his time away from music, during which he focused on family, life and personal health.  

Blackberry Crush 
“Patterns”  
Denver shoegazers Blackberry Crush put out a sonic serenade in their latest single, “Patterns,” released on July 17 via local label Mean World Records. A crushing crescendoing fuzz tome, the song hits like a confessional diary entry, given the spoken word delivery of vocalist-guitarist Pyper Tiffany. 

The four-piece likes to describe what Blackberry Crush does as “healing through noise,” while maintaining a loud-but-gentle sound, and “Patterns” encapsulates that perfectly.  

Boot Gun  
“Big Blue”  
Denver rock crew Boot Gun is calling it quits after nine years, but not before dropping on final offering in latest EP, “Big Blue,” released independently on July 17. Recorded in the Big Blue studio of Sonic Ranch in West Texas, the four-song farewell was produced by Tom Myers of Futurebirds and showcases the band’s “most mature songwriting,” as drummer Cody Hart sees it. “We started this band when we were in our late 20s and early 30s. A lot has changed since then. This feels like Boot Gun all grown up,” he says.  

Tracks such as “California Schemin’” and “Black Crow” are the jamming jangly blues-rock Boot Gun cooks up so well, one last time.  

Human Suit and Very Very  
“Split”  
Local noise heathens Human Suit and Very Very are not for the faint of heart on their own, but when the two team up, buckle up, as the groups joined ferocious forces for a chaotic split, released independently on July 22.  

The three-song melee whips with the breakneck speed of Human Suit’s grimy grindcore, while incorporating Very Very’s off-kilter slacker screamo and spoken-word lyrics. “Writhing Mass” is the culmination of that here.  

Summer of Peril  
“Obsessive, Compulsive”  
Fort Collins grunge-gazers Summer of Peril turn up the grunge on newest single, “Obsessive, Compulsive,” released independently on July 24. The amped-up harshness isn’t necessarily surprising, as the band melds melody and distortion in a way that few are doing locally. The latest song leans more on the latter (think peak Alice In Chains vibes), a leaner and meaner tone than last month’s somber “Stray Dog,” proving Summer of Peril always does its own thing. 

The Nershis 
“I Drive Me Crazy Too”  
Bill and Jillian Nershi, one of Colorado music’s most prolific power couples over the past three decades, are expanding the band and bringing in the next generation, as the two teamed up with their daughter, Lauren, on new single, “I Drive Me Crazy Too,” released on July 31 via SCI Fidelity Records. 

The breezy bluegrass tune is a sneak peak of the family trio’s upcoming album, “Songs For The Road,” coming out on October 9. The album features a number of close friends and acclaimed collaborators, including members of The String Cheese Incident (naturally), The Infamous Stringdusters, Ghost Town Drifters and Terrapin Family Band.  

Wayfarer  
“Perdition’s Crossing”  
Wayfarer’s been hinting at what comes next, and the Denver black metal desperados delivered in surprise single, “Perdition’s Crossing,” released via German label Vesperian on July 16.  

The band’s made a name for itself by marrying black metal sonics with the dark Americana sensibilities of the Denver Sound. So, naturally, Wayfarer brought in local legend David Eugene Edwards, of Wovenhand and formerly 16 Horsepower, to provide a voice for the desolate cinematic-sounding score.  Oh, and this is the first sample of what’s to come on new album, “Riders of the Setting Sun” (release date TBD), the follow-up to 2023’s masterpiece, “American Gothic.”  

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