KNDRX
“Me, Myself and I”
Denver singer-songwriter, producer and MC KNDRX (aka Cory Kendrix) just released “Me, Myself and I,” the first single from his upcoming album, Wish You Were Here. The hip-hip song is a quick taste of what listeners can expect on the new record, which is available for pre-order. KNDRX recently signed to Davies Entertainment out of San Antonio, where his last album, GUMBO, charted on the iTunes Top 10 Hip-Hop/Rap list. KNDRX has previously performed at the Underground Music Showcase and the Westword Music Showcase, as well as at NXNE and POP Montreal.
Primitive Man with Full of Hell
Suffocating Hallucination
Have you ever been unexpectedly trapped inside a bad acid trip? Well, if you’re wondering what it’s like, throw on Primitive Man’s latest, Suffocating Hallucination — but make sure you have a sober spotter on hand. Noise-grind outfit Full of Hell couldn’t have been a more perfect match for the longtime local band, which messes around with doomier soundscapes. The new record, which came out on March 3, is harsh, grating, brutal and best experienced firsthand.
Skysia
“Moonflower” and “Running Back”
All right, let’s come down a little bit with some ambient electronic tracks courtesy of Skysia. “Moonflower,” which dropped March 3, creates a nostalgic and dreamy atmosphere, with Denver musician Kumali's ethereal vocals adding a layer of emotion and depth. “Running Back,” released March 17, is similarly soothing. The interplay of the bass beats creates an effect that makes your head and neck bop involuntarily. Both songs are off Skysia's upcoming album, Here, due on April 28.
FAIM
Your Life and Nothing Else
Like a comet, political hardcore band FAIM seemed to flash before our eyes and fade into the night as quickly as it appeared. Formed in 2016, the group only released two LPs, including March 3’s Your Life and Nothing Else, before deciding to call it quits after this year. The latest offering, 23 minutes of hardcore punk, shoegaze, screamo, post-punk and crust, is by far the band’s most varied release. Listen to “What I Want Back Is What I Was” for the best reflection of that. And why not? It’s FAIM’s swan song. Have fun with it, bang your head, punch a Nazi.
Instant Empire
“Paper Thin”
Indie-rock band Instant Empire released a sentimental single, “Paper Thin,” on March 3 from its new album, Standing Eight Count. “Sometimes on a long drive, you enter that weird mind state where you're moving through space and time at great speeds, but your mind enters a dream-like state ... you allow it to wander,” the band says about the inspiration for the song. “Musically we were intentional in giving the song a lot of space. The instrumentation is sparse, but in typical Instant Empire fashion, the song builds into something big, nearly exploding towards the end, in perfect harmony to the lyrical sentiment that comes along with the joy of letting go ... of finally being at ease.”
Necropanther
Betrayal
Death metal is a meal best served with a side of thrash, at least whenever Necropanther is cooking it up. That musical mix is all over the menu on the band's new album, Betrayal, which was unleashed March 3. The fact that Necropanther blends the two styles so well isn’t surprising, given that bandmates Haakon Sjogren and Marcus Corich were also founding members of local thrash band Havok. But, man, Betrayal has to be the fastest thing they’ve ever done. It’s certainly the most furious Necropanther record, and that’s a good thing for us speed freaks.
Eric Luba
“letting go of the day”
Music producer Eric Luba has been a professional musician in Denver for the past ten years, but his March 7 release, “letting go of the day,” is his first original single since moving west. Luba, a keys player, owns and operates More Noise and Sounds, which specializes in music production, lessons and samples. The new song showcases his playing and song-making skills with its poppy, R&B sound.
Since JulEYE
The Dawn of Since
Denver trip-hop duo Since JulEYE released its debut LP, The Dawn of Since, on March 10, the day after a visually stunning show at Cervantes'. Comprising DJ/producer Lev Averbakh and veteran keyboardist Todd Stoops (RAQ, Kung-Fu), Since JulEYE is a vibrant mix of Averbakh’s bouncy hip-hop production and Stoops’s jam-band sensibilities. “On the Scene" was a collaboration with Lettuce trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom, while "Fly Away" is a psychedelic, hip-hop-infused bass track with rapper and visual artist ProbCause as well as
Carmine Francis
Self-titled EP
Carmine Francis isn’t a stranger to making music. He was a member of local indie-rock group Scatter Gather for eleven years before going on to form psych-pop band Definitely, maybe. But his latest release, a six-song, self-titled EP that dropped March 11, shows him in a different light, given it’s the first time he’s released any solo material. Listing Fiona Apple and Richard Swift among his influences, Francis takes more of a singer-songwriter approach on the new EP, which he calls his “most personal body of work” to date.
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