Courtesy Tobin Voggesser
Audio By Carbonatix
May’s roundup is a garden variety of new releases, courtesy of Colorado musicians, so dig in with this sonic superbloom of freshly picked tunes from bands like Shady Oaks and Suicide Cages:
Acyan
GHOST TOWN
Let’s start with the haunting, heavy bass of Denver DJ and producer Acyan‘s new EP, GHOST TOWN, which released May 14 via Wubaholics.
Inspired by a road trip through rural ghost towns throughout the North, during which Acyan gathered eerie recordings and visuals, the five-song release is a strange brew he likes to call “post-industrial trap.” While it’s certainly creepy, it’s also catchy, and we’re pretty sure it won’t possess you – outside of making you move.
Blood of Lilith
“Loose Lips, Sink Ships”
Denver’s Blood of Lilith takes aim at the haters on its new single, “Loose Lips, Sink Ships,” which the metal trio dropped independently on May 10.
Vocalist-guitarist Lisa Ogden, drummer Amber Chance and bassist Maggie Alex (who recently announced her plans to step away from the band) aren’t afraid to call out knuckle-dragging social media trolls and do so with a brutal slam piece.
Cameron Cade
“Gotta Be You”
Singer-songwriter Cameron Cade is one of Denver’s best solo indie-pop artists right now, and she further proves it on her latest tune, “Gotta Be You,” released independently on May 13.
Cade calls the swooning tune her “favorite song” to date. It’s an anthem that feels best to belt out in front of a mirror from the privacy and security of your bedroom. Or maybe in a roomful of other hopeless romantics. Up to you.
Cherokee Social
“Tamagotchi”
Cherokee Social waxes about nostalgia on “Tamagotchi,” which the Denver indie duo of frontman Julian Navarro and guitarist Alex Creighton shared independently on May 6.
While it’s an “upbeat summer single,” the song “is the nostalgic taste of reminiscing on the past,” Navarro shares. As the name implies, it’s also about the initial assurance and excitement to care for someone, before losing interest as affection fades, leaving behind a dead promise – or a non-responsive digital pet. Nostalgia can be painful sometimes.
Circling Over
“Eve”
Post-metal meets shoegaze on “Eve,” the new single Denver quartet Circling Over dropped independently on May 30. The song is a taste of the band’s upcoming debut, Amends, and is thick on the ambience, brooding along for over six minutes. We’re certainly excited for what’s next.
Harvested
Corrupted Sense of Survival
Denver death metal is rich with gruesome bands, so allow us to introduce you to newcomers Harvested and its debut album, Corrupted Sense of Survival, which released independently on May 16.
Bassist-vocalist Charles Crichton, drummer Ethan Cullis (drums), guitarist Nick Sandoval (guitars) and vocalist Justin Heggemeier managed to put together a seasoned-sounding nine songs of gore and barbarity. We’re particularly fond of “Tent Pole Lobotomy” and “Red Bull Sponsored Suicide,” so crank it up!
Hellgrammites
Ethos
Hellgrammites might be making the most pissed-off metalcore in Denver, at least that’s the vibe new EP Ethos, released on May 16 via Lost Future Records, gives off.
Drummer Bill Jenkins, vocalist-synth sorcerer Erik Petersen, guitarist Lehi Petersen and bassist Troy Ten Eyck whipped together a six-pack of politically charged ragers. “Body Shamer” and “Plight of the Boar,” in particular, get the blood flowing.
Joytrip
leaving state
Joytrip‘s sophomore EP, leaving state, which released independently on May 23, is “the accumulation of heavy words, collaboration, collection and a lot of work to record beautiful sounds,” according to the band.
The Denver indie-folk four-piece of vocalist-guitarist Michael Schodin, multi-instrumentalist Eddie Hochman, drummer Bennett Shapiro and bassist Mitchell Wisniewski surely packed a lot into the four fresh songs, including the importance of nurturing passions and harboring optimism.
Leftover Salmon
Let’s Party About It
Legendary Boulder jamgrass band Leftover Salmon is celebrating 35 years in 2025, so the title of its latest record, Let’s Party About It, released on May 9 via Compass Records, seems more than fitting.
The Vince Herman-led sextet invited some friends to help commemorate the occasion, too, including iconic crooner Del McCoury, madman mandolinist Sam Bush, fiddler Jason Carter and sax player Jeff Coffin. It’s got everything you’d expect from a Leftover Salmon album, and then some. Salmon Heads rejoice!
Logan Farmer
Butchers
Logan Farmer felt feverish after the inauguration, so the Fort Collins singer-songwriter remedied his symptoms the best way he knows how.
“Songwriting has always been my way of processing the world around me, so as the world became unrecognizable, it felt like the only natural thing I could do,” he explains.
The result is EP Butchers, released on May 23 via Western Vinyl. The five tracks deal with the turbulent times the nation’s mired in through Farmer’s preferred form of dark-folk. But he’s not just singing about it – Farmer is also donating all Bandcamp proceeds to the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.
Ransom Note
“Lakewood Church”
Ransom Note trolls Texas mega-church megalomaniac Joel Olsteen in new single titled “Lakewood Church,” which released independently on May 2, loudly calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The righteous riff-fest also ends with a sound clip from a TikTok, in which a man feigns wanting a selfie with Olsteen before calling him a “piece of shit” – a nice little bow on a banger that also features vocals from Tyler Trejo of Buried in Lies.
Sean Waters & the Sunrise Genius
Fort Collins singer-songwriter Sean Waters released soothing new single, “Clearer than Crystal,” independently on May 9, and it’s a serene summer psalm that would be best enjoyed out in the wilderness or around a campfire. With the help of his backing band, the Sunrise Genius, Waters weaves his love of philosophy and creative writing into his music, which is as charming as it is captivating.
Shady Oaks
“Vices”
Denver blues-rock band Shady Oaks takes on the complacency of addiction on its latest Southern-fried offering, “Vices,” released via Mile High label Mean World Records on May 23.
“The song dives into the normalization of substance use in adult life – how people lean on their vices without ever acknowledging them, because everyone around them is doing the same thing,” according to the band.
The six-piece of singer-guitarist Ty Gallaway, drummer Jonah Samp (Drums), guitarist Isaac Vance, bassist Hunter Bates (Bass), violinist Sarah Hubbard (violin) and keys man Ian Arras know how to kick out the jams, so “Vices” isn’t as gloomy as that may sound, but an infectious rock tome.
Suicide Cages
“Exit Interview”
Okay, the reason why we said Hellgrammites might be making the most pissed-off metalcore around earlier is because Suicide Cages also exists. See latest outburst, “Exit Interview,” released via Fort Collins label Braeburn Records on May 1, is the latest example of auditory mayhem brought forth by vocalist Devin Rombough, guitarist Mhyk Monroe, bassist Matthew Rinehart and drummer Andrew Richo.
The convulsive, mathcore tempo and rapid rate at which it twists and turns makes it dangerous to the unprepared, but that’s exactly what makes it appealing. With “Exit Interview,” Suicide Cages is teasing a new EP, so we’ll have more in the coming months.
The Deborah Solo Trio
“Shook Me”
Boulder indie group the Deborah Solo Trio explores what it is that exactly attracts artists to their respective muses and give-and-take relationships on soft-rock single “Shook Me,” which released independently on May 9.
“The track delves into the often chaotic but beautiful journey of creative inspiration. It tells the story of losing oneself in the woods of creativity, unable to escape the pull of the muse,” band members Deborah Solo (vocals and guitar), Kari Clifton (cello) and Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson (drums, keys and everything else) share.
There’s a quiet intensity throughout “Shook Me,” but at the end of the day, musicians always must come to terms with the unconventionality of courting such inspiration.
The Pretty Shabbies
“Hey Now”
Wrapping up with a not-too-shabby protest song from Denver’s the Pretty Shabbies (see what we did there), “Hey Now,” released independently on May 2. The quintet of vocalist Walker McIntyre, guitarists Jason Burds and Konner McIntyre, bassist Ace Stanley, and drummer Joseph Fisk chant for social justice and liberation, railing against the system and fascism, in particular, by wielding jazzed-up rock and surf psychedelia. The hook is what captures your ear, allowing the message behind the lyrics to sink in almost subliminally.
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