A Place For Owls
My Friends Were Here
Denver elder-emo outfit A Place For Owls got back to releasing music and teamed up with California’s Birthday Dad for a split, My Friends Were Here, released on March 7 via Refresh Records.
The four-song EP features an original from each acts, including A Place For Owls track “Cigarettes & Coffee Stains,” a nostalgia-inducing, amped-up Midwest emo offering, and Birthday Dad’s “I Heard This Song In A Dream.”
My Friends Were Here is rounded out with a couple of covers, as A Place For Owls takes a more alt-rock approach to Birthday Dad’s “TV Dinner,” while Birthday Dad chose to reenvision “Do I Feel At Home Here?” from the local band’s 2022 self-titled album. In all, it’s a breath of fresh air that’s reminiscent of those early 2000s indie days that inspired both artists most.
Creek
“See Through”
If you’re not familiar with Creek, it’s time to change that. The Denver four-piece of guitarist-singer Jared Barnes, bassist Danny Henderson, drummer Dan Carlson and guitarist Brandon Neil is one of the most active “emo-gaze” acts in Denver right now, and released a new song, “See Through,” on March 21 via Barnes’s Swadley Studios.
The latest single is a slow-burner that crescendos into a full-blown reverb rager, complete with a hushed vocal delivery from Barnes that poignantly cuts through the dense distortion Creek is so good at conjuring up. “See Through” is a more vulnerable take than the band’s angrier output, but it’s certainly not any less effective.
DTF
“Chester”
No, DTF isn’t some Jersey Shore-themed gimmick group. It's the new funked-up jazz project from drummer Adam Deitch (Lettuce and Break Science), guitarist Ari Teitel (The Rumble and Dumpstaphunk) and organist Sam Fribush.
The trio put out single “Chester” on March 14 via Flybird Music from upcoming debut, Another Side Of The Sound, set to be released on May 23.
The instrumental is an homage to Chester “CT” Thompson, who is best known for his stints with Santana and Tower of Power. “Due to our shared love for the rhythm section intricacies of Tower of Power, this song just sprouted from a pure moment in the studio,” Deitch says.
Fatalist
Fatalist
New Denver “emo-violence” crew Fatalist announced itself in bludgeoning fashion with the independent release of its self-titled debut on March 15. Clocking in at just over eight minutes, Fatalist is seven songs of piss and vinegar — that’s powerviolence for ya — but goes down so fast you’re barely able to process such songs as “Power Corrupt,” “Guillotine” and “Dungeon Floor.”
Fatalist comprises former or current members of local groups Iwakura /Untold Want, SCAM, Product Lust, athousandangelsandseven, Fainting Dreams and Merry, so it’s safe to say the DIY scene is a familiar stomping ground for this crew.
Hallie Marie
Hallie Marie isn’t afraid to live in the moment, even if that means the morning after a big night out might be a drag. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind, dance like nobody’s watching and wake up wondering if you took it a little too far. Marie creates a similar sonic roller-coaster on latest song, “Sanity,” released independently on March 19.
The upbeat piano piece inspired by such artists as Sara Bareilles and Fiona Apple is the second solo single from the Denver singer-songwriter who’s made a name for herself as the vocalist and keys player for the funk-rocker group Direville. If anything, “Sanity” proves that the good times are typically always worth it.
Hellgrammites
“Bayonet”
Difficult times — such as the modern dark age the current administration seems hellbent on ushering in — almost always result in a plethora of contrarian music (see ’80s crossover made under the Reagan reign), especially in the alternative underground. So while it’s still legal, Denver metalcore merchants Hellgrammites is happy to do its part by taking on the pitfalls of perverted nationalism with new song “Bayonet,” released on March 12 via Lost Future Records.
The first single off upcoming EP Ethos, which will be out May 16, sees Bill Jenkins (drums), Erik Petersen (vocals, synths and samples), Lehi Petersen (guitar) and Troy Ten Eyck (bass) charge fists-first into a searing three-minute rally cry behind its mathy mix of riffs and rampage.
If “Bayonet” is any indication, Hellgrammites still has a lot to say.
moonpool
Nothing Sacred
Singer-guitarist Raymond Suny, drummer Steven Hartman and guitarist Izaiah Miller are no strangers to the NoCo music circuit. Formerly known as the Sickly Hecks, the trio recently rebranded under the moniker moonpool and put out that project's debut EP, Nothing Sacred, on March 7 under its banner Heck Records.
The change isn’t just in name, as moonpool focuses on fusing shoegaze, grunge and post-punk synth. And the five tracks of Nothing Sacred, including the hypnotic “Crystalline” and more bleary-eyed “Headlights,” achieve just that. While moonpool might be new, the dudes still know how to write catchy hooks and wavy riffs.
Polish
Decay
After Polish released its album title track “Decay” late last month, the local powerviolence trio unexpectedly dropped its debut weeks later, on March 7, via No Time Records, Eat These Records.
Speed is something bassist/vocalist Issac Roybal, bassist Dante DeLaurier (yes, two bassists) and drummer Eddie Eaton do well, though, so the quick turnaround isn’t too surprising. Same can be said for Decay, which is not even nine full minutes but manages to pack in ten separate songs.
Like we said, Polish is a bunch of speed freaks. Just listen to “Blind,” “Stockade Hanging” and “The Ties,” which are all under thirty seconds. It’s not just the runtimes that make Polish one of the heaviest-hitting local bands right now, but what Roybal, DeLaurier and Eaton do in that time — deliver double-bass-and-drum bangers straight to the skull.
Relate.
“Constant Pressure”
Denver post-punkers Relate. released a new single, “Constant Pressure,” independently on March 4, and it sounds both familiar and fresh. From the opening guitar lick, which is evocative of the sullen subgenre, the song hits like it could be a long-lost track from twenty years ago that only appeared on some independent label sampler CD that was handed out in a Warped Tour parking lot. Vocalist Duncan Slacks certainly possesses the pipes of a pop-punk frontman from that era.
With only singles and EPs out so far, local fans are still looking forward to an official Relate. debut, but in the meantime, enjoy “Constant Pressure.”
Richard Becker
“Rooftops”
Richard Becker has enjoyed a successful run with his longtime indie-rock group Walden. But since he, and the band, relocated to Denver from Athens, Georgia, three years ago, the singer and guitarist has been busy working on his first-ever solo material.
His latest single, “Rooftops,” dropped on March 28 and follows January’s “5am,” both of which are from his debut album, Cedar Forks (release date TBD).
“Rooftops” hits right in the feels, as Becker sings about simpler times spent playing outside, catching fireflies and stargazing. “It's about childhood, coming of age and longing to hold onto that part of you that sees the world with wonder. Of learning to accept that even as we leave childhood homes and cities behind, those memories, those experiences, are always a part of us,” he explains.
Ukko’s Hammer
Ukko’s Hammer
If you’re into heaviness, Finnish folklore and socialism, then Denver crossover crew Ukko’s Hammer has got you covered. The rowdy quartet of Andy "Ando" Rauworth (guitars), Seth Saunar (drums), Zach Barnes (bass), and Zach Reini (vocals) has been on the come-up since 2020 and found a footing in both the local metal and hardcore scenes (it’s not called crossover for nothing), thanks to a pair of pulse-pounding EPs.
But Ukko’s Hammer upped the ante on its self-titled debut, released independently on March 15, with an all-out assault of thrash, hardcore and death metal. Standout tracks “All For One,” “Excited Delirium” and “Skin and Bone” are indicative of that variety, but all eleven tracks hit like, well, a Thunder god’s hammer.
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