Denver Band Broken Record Takes Its "Stadium Emo" Sound to the East Coast

If you don’t yet know what “Denver Stadium Emo” is, then you need to check out Denver’s own Broken Record, a mainstay on the Denver scene since late 2017 that just won a 2024 Best of Denver award.

“Our good friend Jay came up with that description,” laughs Lauren Beecher, lead singer and guitarist for the band. “We’re obviously an emo band, but we’re also not afraid to make our songs sound big, or to add a grander rock element.”

That approach has built a trusted fan base in Denver, and, despite the band mostly playing clubs, the term came to fruition in December when Broken Record’s “See It Through” filled Ball Arena during an Avs game.

Broken Record's sound is distinct, but its ’90s threads are clear with the deep post-punk, indie-rock and emo vibe that marked the decade. While Jimmy Eat World is “obviously a huge influence,” Beecher’s soulful lyrics and crisp melodies amid post-punk power-pop guitar chords hint at Gin Blossoms, too. “I basically learned to read off the lyrics book of New Miserable Experience while riding in the car with my mom,” Beecher adds. The jangly guitar and lyrical storytelling defined that pivotal Gin Blossoms album, which Rolling Stone described as “marrying world-weary lyrics with ebullient melodies.” Similar emotion comes through on Broken Record’s second LP, Nothing Moves Me, released last August on Really Rad Records and listed in UPROXX’s best emo albums of 2023. The album has been selling well and is now available on vinyl.

Broken Record will support that album on tour for a series of East Coast shows with Massachusetts band Cape Crush this month. “We knew we wanted to do this East Coast run,” says Beecher, explaining how the tour came together. She and her husband, Corey Fruin, Broken Record’s bassist, are from Connecticut and familiar with its close-knit indie music scene. The band also knew Cape Crush from an earlier tour, when Broken Record joined Denver hardcore band FAIM for its final shows. “There were just a pile of connections,” Beecher explains, adding that the tour idea germinated after she noticed Ali Lipman of Cape Crush on a message board for Connecticut bands.

In the era of digital music and streaming platforms, “touring still makes a big difference,” Beecher notes. “You go play a show, and if three people like it, they tell their friends and the fan base grows."

Playing to new crowds is exciting and challenging, though Broken Record expects to be well received because “we definitely have an East Coast sound” that connects with local crowds, Beecher says, especially fans of Cape Crush. The band will play eight shows on this quick run, beginning in Salem on April 12 and finishing up in Brooklyn on April 19. The bandmates are also planning the next leg of the tour, which will take them to the Pacific Northwest in July. But first, Broken Record will be back in Denver for a show at Seventh Circle Music Collective on Saturday, April 27, to celebrate its homecoming from the tour, the vinyl release and a new video for the song "Nothing Moves Me."
When the bandmates head to the coast, “we’ll definitely be borrowing a lot of gear from Cape Crush,” Beecher laughs, noting one of the challenges an indie band faces touring across the country. Having such supportive relationships in the indie scene helps bands get beyond their own towns to connect with new fans, or play for current fans who discovered them digitally. Accommodations are another logistical issue, but thanks to Beecher and Fruin’s local ties, “we’ll be crashing with friends in most places,” she says. “The East Coast is also great to do a string of shows” because the towns are close together and “the drives are so short,” she adds.

In addition to touring, Beecher has another project she’s hoping will contribute to a more united Denver indie scene, which is thriving but can feel disconnected. “We recently started a thing called Power Goth,” she says, which is a label and booking agency. Its goal is to pull together diverse groups on the same bill and introduce crowds to new sounds, reflecting Broken Record’s varied musical influences. “Cory, Jay, and I want to book more mixed bills,” Beecher explains.

And that should be somewhat smooth sailing considering the bandmates' connections. Fruin also plays in Replica City with Matt Dunne, a former member of Broken Record, and the band’s new guitarist Larson Ross has another project called Flesh Tape, which describes its sound as “shoe-gazy indie rock.” Power Goth has put out albums for both, and now the goal as a band, label and booking agent is just “to play with a wider variety of bands and get more people in the room,” Beecher says.

As Broken Record’s website notes: “With 50+ years of sonically diverse alternative music to draw from, it seems intuitive that a band would utilize the full scope of sounds available to them in order to synthesize something uniquely their own.” The band certainly has accomplished that. With all those influences and a serious dedication to the craft of songwriting and performing, Broken Record will be rocking the Denver scene for years to come.

Broken Record, Saturday, April 27, Seventh Circle Music Collective, 2935 West Seventh Avenue.