Below is the best new music released by Colorado musicians in December:
Alex Creighton
“Love Drugs”
Denver multi-instrumentalist and producer Alex Creighton was going through it whenever he wrote song “Love Drugs,” which released independently on December 9. An argument with his girlfriend at the time and a subsequent brush with the law inspired the indie-pop jangle, his first as a solo artist.
One-half of local act Cherokee Social, Creighton escaped the recent heartache and potential DUI unscathed and still has music to turn to when things get a little rough.
“I make music to expose the things we hide from ourselves. I make music to escape reality,” he shares. “I use fiction to expose fact. I use the facts of my own experience to relate to yours.”
Boogie Lights
DISCO DANCE THERAPY
Just in time for the post-holiday malaise, Denver DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Boogie Lights shared his new EP, DISCO DANCE THERAPY, on December 6 via Boogie Bunch Records. The eleven fresh tracks, including the previously released single “RISE UP,” offer a healthy dose of danceable disco, featuring a ten-piece backing band, the Boogie Bunch. That's just what Mark Heinrichs, aka Boogie Lights, wanted to do.
“The concept of DISCO DANCE THERAPY relates to the relationship between music and mental health. The theory of dance therapy is referenced in the title track, how sometimes, ‘All you need is a beat to get back on your feet,’” he says. “The album is an uplifting expedition through indie, funk, disco and house led by empowering lyrics focused on mental wellness, spreading love to the universe and living in the moment.”
Lumasi
Sun & Moon
Up-and-coming Denver EDM artist Lumasi shared five fresh vibes via his latest EP, Sun & Moon, released independently on December 13, to cap off a successful 2024.
The latest EP showcases Lumasi’s penchant for bass and house sounds on such tracks as “Morning Dub” and “Deleted,” featuring SCHMUX.
After his unofficial remix of Flo Rida’s “Low” went viral on TikTok earlier this year, Atlantic Records issued a takedown notice, but then inquired about an official re-release. Instead of going mainstream, Lumasi kept it underground and reimagined the track with new vocals from ProbCause, resulting in “Lower,” which has amassed over 1 million streams on Spotify. So Lumasi is definitely an artist to keep an eye on in 2025.
Shady Oaks
“Stay Here”
Denver psych group Shady Oaks finished up the year by sharing its fifth overall single, “Stay Here,” released independently via local label Mean World Records on December 13. Vocalist and guitarist Ty Gallaway came up with the latest track during a solitary winter spent in his basement, during which he gazed out the window for “days on end” and even watched “mold grow in an old coffee cup,” he explains.
Whatever his creative process was, it worked. “Stay Here” is a bluesy ballad, showcasing the searing guitar work of Isaac Vance and Sarah Hubbard’s wailing violin. Mix in bassist Hunter Bates and drummer Jonah Samp, and Shady Oaks goes down like a shot and a beer.
Sungrave
IDYLL
Denver post-metal outfit Sungrave officially announced itself as a band on the rise with debut album IDYLL, released independently on December 20. Mixed by Austin Minney at All Aces Studio and mastered by Brad Smalling of Evergroove Studio, the six songs — all averaging around nine minutes in length — that make up IDYLL equate to “45 minutes of existential dread,” as the four-piece likes to describe it.
Guitarist and vocalist Nick Brazzel, guitarist Grant Luloff, bassist Joe Elmore and drummer Nate Girard didn’t hold back. The crown jewel of the record is “Oubliette,” a ten-plus-minute song that explores the depths of Sungrave’s sound. Add in the touches of musician Lief Sjostrom, who performed cello on several tracks, and an interlude composed by local synth artist hecklifter, and IDYLL is as much a statement as it is a debut.
The Deborah Solo Trio
“Take Me Away”
The Deborah Solo Trio, a Denver-based indie band, celebrated Friday the 13th this month with an uplifting acoustic ballad, “Take Me Away." Solo’s soothing voice serves as a salve, along with the cello of Kari Clifton and Chad Johnson’s grand piano playing.
“Take Me Away” is an “honest narrative dedicated to the loved ones who stand by our side through the darkest of times, offering solace, support and encouragement,” the trio explains. “A testament to the transformative power of love and human connection in times of uncertainty.”
The Velveteers
“On and On”
Boulder trio the Velveteers is one of the hottest acts in modern rock right now. The group is signed to Dan Auerbach’s label Easy Eye Sound, which released the band's debut album, Nightmare Daydream, in 2021, and has since opened for Guns N’ Roses and Smashing Pumpkins.
New single “On and On,” released via Easy Eye on December 19, further forwards the band’s mission of making a name for itself as part of the new wave. As vocalist Demi Demitro explains, “On and On” is a “big fuck you to the ongoing cesspool of men who are unable to take any accountability for their actions” in the industry and “kissing off the predatory men in the music scene.”
The song, which includes Cage the Elephant's Nick Bockrath on guitar, is off the group's new album, A Million Knives, which drops on Valentine’s Day. It’s safe to say that Demitro, drummer Baby Pottersmith and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Figg did not write a record full of traditional love songs.
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